Fire and Fighters
by kellyjb514
Summary: Kelly, a woman blessed with prolonged life due to her assistance many years ago with the elves, has a secret to hide from the company. One member in particular. They cannot know who she is lest everything be ruined.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"Dwalin!" She screamed as she saw a goblin release an arrow towards his unprotected back. Quickly, faster than she herself would've believed possible, she threw her body in the pathway of the arrow. She knew she would probably die from the wound but she would do anything to save him, the only man she had ever allowed herself to love.

A.N. - This is my first ever story and I'm not sure if I'll be good at this at all! Any feedback is appreciated! Thanks :)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Shaking the rain from her cloak, she sat as close to the fire as possible. Fire was her comfort, her security, and her most intimate friend. She had the ability to bend fire to her will, not that she would let anyone know. She wouldn't be used as a weapon so she hid her gift as well as possible. With her blue eyes, brown hair, and short stature, she fit in and hid herself quite well thank you very much.

However she wasn't here, in some dingy inn with too many drunkards, to simply muse over her camouflage abilities. She had a wizard to meet with and though she knew that she wouldn't be much help with whatever he had planned, she would be polite enough to listen. Now all she had to do was wait for him to arrive as she knew he would be there when he deemed appropriate and not a moment sooner.

"Ah there you are Kelly, I was hoping you would agree to meeting with me!" The Grey Wizard said as he sat down across from her, setting a mug of ale down in front of him. She tipped her head a bit, not letting her hood slip off her face as she spoke. "Of course I would come, I am nothing if not polite to a wizard." Her voice was soft but strong, with a hint of an inner fire so much like the one she controlled. "Why have you asked to see me Gandalf? You know quite well that I am no fan of crowds. I am much too dangerous and these people are much too infuriating."

"I am glad to find that you have not lost your spark in the years you have wandered the Wilds." He spoke with the smallest amount of teasing in his voice. Her head tilted to the left as her eyes caught the light of the fire, a bright red flash running across them. "My spark as you call it is something I could never lose. It would have to be taken from me and that would never be an easy task. Though I digress, so answer my question. Why are we here tonight?"

Gandalf smiled and sighed as he leaned towards the woman across from him. "I am going to be having an adventure and I was hoping you would accompany the Company and me." She gasped softly and stared at him with wide eyes.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Taking a deep breath of the air, which seemed sweeter than she was used to, she continued riding her horse through the Shire, looking for a Mr. Bilbo Baggins. Gandalf had asked her to come a month earlier than everyone else, so as to make friends with their host before he was bombarded with other guests (the identities of whom he would still not disclose to her). She tried to refuse because honestly, she didn't know anything about Hobbits! She would hate to offend their "burglar" and ruin this whole thing before it could be started! However, due to much persuasion and some (not to subtle) threats, she was riding her horse into this quaint little area while secretly enjoying the seemingly simplistic life the inhabitants had. After a few stops for directions, and an embarrassing moment of her horse nearly stepping on a small child, Kelly was standing in front of a cute house built into a hill.

Raising her hand slowly and cursing herself for shaking so badly, she knocked realizing a moment too late that it would have been more polite to simply ring the doorbell. Nevertheless, the door was opened a moment later by an adorable looking man with dirt on his cheek and gardening tools in his hands. "Excuse me I'm sorry to intrude but I'm looking for a Mr. Baggins?" She said with her strong, steady voice which immediately caught said Hobbits attention.

"Yes, that would be me, what can I help you with?" He asked with slight hesitation as he hadn't had strangers come to his door in a very, very long time. This was obviously a woman, due to the way her cloak flowed around her body and her slightly tangled hair fell past her shoulders. Bilbo was taught to be polite to women and this one would be no exception, even if he couldn't see the face that went to that beautiful voice.

"Oh lovely!" She exclaimed with genuine happiness in her voice. "I was hoping I would find the right place! I was sent here by a friend and was told that you would be able to accommodate me for a short while. My horse and I are in need of rest and I have no money to stay at an inn. I was told that Hobbits were almost legendary for their kindness and hospitality, second only to the elves!" She was only stretching the truth a bit, Gandalf hadn't said he could accommodate her but this way her quickest way to make friends with Bilbo. She was tired but she certainly had enough money to stay somewhere else.

Bilbo smiled brightly at the woman and nodded quickly seeming entranced by her voice, excited by the thought of meeting someone from outside his small Shire, and proud to show her that yes Hobbits were very kind and very hospitable. "Yes of course, of course! Please do come in! I assume your horse is tied to a tree of some sorts?" Bilbo, though not very fond of horses, would hate for the animal to wander off and possibly not be able to find its way back. "I tied him to the fence, I hope you don't mind. I wasn't sure where else to put him since you don't have any type of stable!"

"Oh he's perfectly fine there for now though later tonight we'll bring him in the fence and put him in the back garden where he'll be comfortable!" Bilbo said as he opened the door wider and stepped back, gesturing for the woman to come in. "Well you obviously know my name but I don't recall having yours." Bilbo said as he gestured for her cloak and bag. "Oh! Silly me, please do excuse my lack of manners! You may call me Kelly and I'd prefer to keep my cloak on if you don't mind Mr. Baggins." She laughed as she handed him her traveling bag before shutting the door behind her. This adventure might be more fun than she had anticipated, if Bilbo decides to join.

A.N. – So please let me know what you think so far! Any and all criticism is welcomed! Thanks! J


	4. Chapter 3

A.N. - Thanks to ** .7 **for the review! That means a lot!

Chapter 3

Kelly looked around the cute home, enjoying the warm and homey feeling given off. "This is lovely! I assume it's been in the family for years?" She asked as she ran her hand down a wall which was a smooth as it looked. Browns, greens, and other earthy colors seemed to be the dominant palette in the home though looking closer, she could see splashes of color in the other rooms of the home.

"Yes actually! A Baggins has always lived in Bag End and if I have anything to say about it, one always will!" Bilbo said as he puffed out his chest just a tiny bit. Kelly smiled softly, though it couldn't be seen, and looked down at the tools in the Hobbits hands. "Oh I'm sorry! Did I interrupt your gardening?"

Bilbo looked at the back door of his home longingly before shaking his head and facing his guest again. "It's nothing important, I can continue it later! First, we should find you something to eat because you must be famished!" She shook her head and softly asked if Bilbo wouldn't mind showing her his lovely garden. Bilbo smiled excitedly and grabbed her hand, pulling her quickly out the back door and into a large garden.

He quickly set his tools down and began the tour, pride practically dripping from his mouth. The garden was sectioned into different types such as vegetables, herbs for cooking and healing, flowers, and a small assortment of bushes and trees. Kelly was quite impressed at the garden but more importantly, the Hobbit. He wasn't shy about welcoming this perfect stranger into his home and showing her what was obviously one of his most prized possessions. She was quite enjoying herself so far and was beginning to ask questions and point to different plants, which seemed to pep the Hobbit up even more as he answered every question with a knowledge Kelly would have assumed he didn't possess.

After the tour was finished, she asked Bilbo what he had been working on when she had interrupted (which was when he insisted it was no problem at all). Bilbo then led her back to the area of trees and bushes where she hadn't noticed a small path leading behind this area. She followed behind him only to come face to face moments later with a beautiful purple bush, full of blooms of bright red flowers. Kelly stood entranced at the bush which, thanks to the design and placement of the blossoms, looked like it was actually on fire. "Bilbo," she began slowly "what type of plant is this? It's so beautiful it looks like-"

"Fire." Bilbo interrupted with a gleeful look on his face. "I'm not sure what it's called, I purchased it off a man passing through who stopped at the market. I was told that when the blossoms are crushed and mixed with water, it helps to heal any burns whether they're poisonous or not."

Kelly stepped closer and stroked the bush reverently then touched a single leaf. "Do the leaves do anything? They're a strange type of purple that I haven't seen."

He looked thoughtful, as if trying to remember, then blinked and smiled while picking off a leaf (Kelly almost looked horrified) and popping it into his mouth. After he had finished chewing, he looked up at the woman next to him and said "They supposed to help keep your strength up and keep your body nourished." Kelly laughed and picked her own leaf then put it in her mouth and chewed on it, surprised when she tasted something similar to apples mixed with peaches. "These actually taste wonderful! Maybe I could take some with me when I leave?" She asked, watching Bilbo's reaction.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had now been 3 weeks since she had arrived and Kelly found that she liked Bilbo much more than she had thought possible. She didn't love him of course, but she appreciated his existence enough to want to stay forever. He had made it clear that she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted (forever, in fact) and so she found herself becoming more and more comfortable around the Hobbit. However, she knew he was going to start asking why she always kept her face covered, whether it was with her cloak hood or a wrapping of some sort. Kelly knew that due to her newfound friendship with Bilbo Baggins, that when he asked, she would tell him everything. He deserved to know.

That moment came much sooner than she had anticipated though. The next night at dinner, Bilbo was much quieter than usual and wasn't eating with his usual vigor. "Bilbo? Will you tell me what's the matter or will you continue to ponder and sulk under your black cloud?" Silently she cursed herself for her lack to ability to be tactful but she wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"Kelly, I have a few things I've become curious about but I don't want to ask you and have you become offended and leave." She straightened up in her chair and nodded her head quickly; the time had come and Bilbo was going to ask his questions. "I promise you that nothing you ask can offend me and I give you my word that I shall not leave once you've asked. I do, however, think that perhaps this should wait until we have our after dinner tea." Bilbo sighed and seemed to relax while nodding then resumed eating his meal, this time with a little more enjoyment. He was going to get his answers and be able to keep his friend as well.

A.N. Sorry this one was a little short! I just thought this would be a good place to end before I get to the heavy stuff! :)


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bilbo made the tea while Kelly set up a small plate of cookies then they both slowly made their way to the sitting room where there was a small fire burning on the hearth. They got comfortable and Kelly turned to Bilbo slowly, her cloak hood covering her face and her hands folded on her lap. "Well, ask me anything you like and I'll answer you honestly and to the best of my abilities." Kelly spoke quietly, her voice almost shaking. She had no idea what question Bilbo would ask first and though she would never ever admit that she was scared, she was feeling a bit cautious.

Bilbo set his tea down, straightened in his seat, and looked straight where he assumed her eyes were. "What sort of magic do you possess that you haven't told me about?" He asked, sounding much braver and much more demanding than he felt. Kelly choked slightly on her tea, nearly spitting it everywhere in her surprise. How did he know about that?! Had he seen her lose control the other week or was she not being careful enough about hiding her ability? She reminded herself that she would not lie to him but she wasn't sure if he knew exactly what he was asking about. So she tried to clarify by asking "What do you mean Bilbo? I have no magic anywhere in my body." This technically wasn't a lie as she had a gift that was of her own accord, not reliant on any magic or other outer force.

"You think I haven't noticed how the fire gets brighter and stronger when you're near? How your eyes sometimes flash red or orange when you get frustrated? Don't play me for a fool, what magic do you have?" Bilbo asked her, trying not to let her know how scared and excited he was. Someone who used magic could be unpredictable, unstable even. Especially if that someone could use fire to do their work. Though he'd never met anyone who could use magic and he was wondering if she'd let him in on any secrets and information. He watched as she let out a sigh which almost sounded relieved then leaned back into her chair to get more comfortable. "Bilbo what I have is a gift, nothing more and nothing less. I was born with it and it only requires my mind to work, I possess no magic now and I never have before. I can bend fire to my will and have created almost a friendship with it which causes it to long for my attention and contact. I have control over what I do and I never use my gift for evil or as a weapon. It has gotten me out of many tight spots before but I have not harmed anyone or anything since I was a very young child without control."

Kelly watched as Bilbo's forehead crinkled in thought over what she had said. He was obviously worrying over what she had said, the improbability of it, and the fact that she had sounded so sincere. Looking at her for a long moment, he cleared his throat softly and only said "Show me please?" She smiled and laughed for a moment before holding her hand out towards the fire, beckoning towards herself whilst not taking her eyes of Bilbo.

He watched, transfixed, as a stream of fire came from the hearth and wrapped itself around her hand and wrist with a softness of a lover's caress. She took her eyes off Bilbo and looked toward the fire, setting her cup of tea down to hold her other hand out then connected the fire to both hands. "It will not burn me, you, or anything else in this room unless I ask it to. Would you like to touch it Mr. Baggins?" Kelly said quietly as the fire continued to undulate around her hands and wrist. Bilbo reached out towards the fire then looked at her for confirmation. When she nodded quickly, he reached out farther and put his hand on hers. The fire was warm and silky but didn't feel dangerous, it seemed to be calm and happy and almost longing, as if it had wanted nothing more its entire existence than to be in contact with this woman. Kelly took a deep breath as she relished in the feeling of the fire on her skin and the stretch on her mind as she used her powers for the first time in weeks. Then as Bilbo pulled his hand back, the fire tried to continue with his movements, making her laugh. "It likes you." she said as she sent the fire back to the hearth slowly. "That is uncommon with most people. You must be a good fire tender, Bilbo."

He laughed a bit and shook his head, even more excited by his friend than he usually was and now feeling more confident in knowing that she wasn't likely to kill him in his sleep with magic. "Now do you have other questions or was that your only worry?" She said as she turned towards him again to watch his expression. It slowly turned from contented to sheepish and finally to concerned. "I only had one more question which I have had since you first arrived." He trailed off slowly, not sure how to continue but getting a burst of confidence when she nodded and motioned for him to continue. "I was wondering why you never uncover your face. I am sure it is not because you are ugly, with a voice such as yours there can surely only be beauty hiding in the shadow of your cloak."

Kelly's shoulders dropped a little and she sighed as her hands tightened into fists. "I had better show you and then tell you the whole story I suppose?" Bilbo nodded quickly while trying not to look too engrossed in the conversation. She scooted to the edge of her chair and slowly untied the clasp of her cloak, took a deep breath then pushed the cloak off her shoulders allowing it to fall into the chair behind her. Then she turned her head and looked Bilbo straight in the eyes.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Before him sat one of the most beautiful women Bilbo had seen in his entire life. She had long brown hair that bordered on being auburn, eyes as blue as the purest water in the Shire, skin pale as alabaster without a blemish in sight except for the scar. There was a large and extremely noticeable "u" shaped scar that started just beside her nose, ran halfway down her right cheek, came back up her face then disappeared into her hairline by her temple. As she reached up and stroked the scar gently with one finger, Bilbo knew that this was the reason she hid her face.

She expected him to look horrified, and like most people to turn away and not look at her. What she didn't expect was for him to reach his hand out and cup her other cheek while having a tender look on his face. "How did it happen? Did someone do this to you on purpose?" Bilbo inquired, looking into her eyes and finding it hard not to get lost. Tears started to run down her face as she realized that Bilbo wasn't going to turn her away in fear or disgust.

"The man I love did this to me long ago." She murmured then hurried to continue as Bilbo began to look horrified and angry. "He was drunk though! He had no recollection of doing it and he still doesn't know. I knew he would never be able to forgive himself for ever laying a hand on me so I ran away. I loved him so much that I left to protect him from his own wrath." Bilbo reached out and took her face in both his hands as he looked at her intensely. "So you left that man to protect him from himself without being sure that he wouldn't forgive himself? You made yourself suffer because of a mistake made by a drunken man?"

She sighed loudly and pulled away from him, resisting the urge to cover her face again. "You don't understand Bilbo. I kept him alive. Any from the race of Men could've justified his actions and we could have moved on together. No, my Dwalin was a Dwarf and we were courting. Dwarven laws frown heavily upon any injury done to women (especially your One) whether intended or not. He would have been put on trial and eventually sentenced to death for marking me so permanently and in so horrific of a way." Kelly said, frowning as she remembered leaving in the dead of night and traveling as fast as possible so that there would be less chance of him finding her.

Bilbo looked on the edge of tears but also confused. When she mentioned this he only asked, "You said you are his One. What does that mean?" At this she smiled sadly and tugged a necklace out from under her shirt collar. The necklace was a beautiful emerald surrounded by the finest gold Bilbo had ever seen and it was absolutely gorgeous with Dwarvish markings all around it. "Dwarves only fall in love once Mr. Baggins. When they do, they know it automatically and without question. There are no doubts, worries, fights, or complications that will keep a Dwarf from his One once he knows where she is. This necklace symbolizes to all other Dwarves that I am taken and am being courted, so any attempt to court me would result in a challenge in battle and fight to the death. I have never taken it off and I never will."

They continued their conversation late into the night with Kelly telling stories of how she met Dwalin and of their courtship. Bilbo seemed fascinated and was constantly leaning forward in his chair like a child too excited to sit still. "I thought Dwarves showed their courtship with braids as well as gifts." He asked suddenly, his eyes searching her hair for any hint of a braid. "Oh they do!" She assured him while nodding quickly. "However, they are usually taken out and redone by the couple each night. They take the braids out, brush each other's hair, then put the braids back in. It is sort of a bonding experience that will bring the two individuals closer to becoming one with each other."

"Once I left however, my braids were too noticeable and I knew that if Dwalin came looking for me, he would hear of a non-Dwarvish woman with braids in her hair. That would set him on the right track so I took them out, though it pained me to do it. I cried for a week after I took them out." She sighed heavily, wishing that things were different. "Then I heard of a horrible tragedy that happened at his home which I cannot speak of. Now I know in my heart that he is gone forever and I will never be able to apologize for leaving him. He probably hated me for leaving, he probably thought I never really loved him and that thought alone is enough to make me wish my existence would end." Kelly immediately broke into sobs, covering her face with her hands and curling in on herself. Bilbo, unsure what to do, rubbed his hand across her back and let her get all her sorrow out for surely she had held all this in for too long.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It had now been a week since that night and Kelly had gotten back into the habit of showing her face when she was in the house as Bilbo had requested it. She felt more confident and now used her gift whenever she could. She told Bilbo it made her feel better but it was really because she knew Gandalf would be coming soon to take her and Bilbo on an adventure. Kelly had a feeling that Bilbo wasn't built for anything that Gandalf had in mind and she had decided that she would do anything and everything to keep her friend out of harm. She had to get her talents back in shape if she was going to do any damage to any monsters in the world.

As they were sitting outside that day, Kelly decided to start doing a bit of weeding in the front garden while Bilbo sat and smoked his pipe for a bit. He thought it was interesting how every time he would blow a smoke ring, she would smile and watch it float away so he blew them as often as possible. Kelly bent down farther to pick at a particularly difficult weed, obstructing her from view to anyone outside the fence. She heard Bilbo cough then as soon as he said "Good morning" she quickly pulled her hood up to cover her face and sat back to look at the visitor. She smiled as she saw Gandalf, laughing when she heard his answer to Bilbo's greeting, thinking to herself how typical it is of the wizard to be so cryptic. "Kelly, my dear! How good to know you found Mr. Baggins! I hope that you have been well rested?" At this, Bilbo looked from Kelly to Gandalf with confusion until Kelly explained, "Bilbo, Master Gandalf here is the friend who told me to find you for a place to rest! I am thankful to him because if it wasn't for his suggestion, I would not feel as well as I do!"

Waving to Gandalf, Kelly stood up and left the front garden with the weeds she had picked in order to put them into the waste pile with everything else. She then walked over to her horse and paid him some attention, feeding him an apple. She had placed some next to his area, but far enough away that he couldn't eat all of them at once. After hearing the door shut quickly, Kelly decided to walk around the house to speak to Gandalf before he left again. "Gandalf what on middle earth are you doing?" She had caught him in the middle of drawing a symbol into Bilbo's door which she had just painted a week ago! He looked at her, seeming more amused than he had any right to be in her opinion. "Well how do you expect the Company to find Bilbo's house without any sort of marking? They can't all go asking the rest of the town for directions as you probably did." Kelly just shook her head at the wizard but let the remark go. "Gandalf will you tell me who is going to be showing up for this adventure? You know how I like to know what to expect."

The wizard just smiled infuriatingly and changed the subject. "Does Bilbo know your story yet? How is your friendship coming along?" Kelly rolled her eyes but answered anyway, trying to control the flash of irritation she knew showed in her eyes. "Yes he knows, and he accepted it. I've begun leaving my hood down when there's nobody else around. Our friendship is marvelous and I will not let anyone harm him during this adventure." Gandalf at least had the tact to pretend to be surprised before starting to walk away from the woman, looking back and shouting, "Congratulations on your friendship and see if you can gather the courage to wear your hood down when your guests come!"

That evening, Kelly kept her cloak near her though Bilbo couldn't understand why. She had been on edge since Gandalf had left, and Bilbo assumed that it was due to a conversation she had had with the wizard once Bilbo had fled inside. Bilbo was just settling down to a lovely fish dinner (Kelly had insisted she wasn't hungry and had retreated to her bedroom) when he heard the doorbell ring. He stood up and quickly went to the door, noticing Kelly come out of the bedroom only to hide in one of the shadows. She could hardly be seen, with her dark cloak covering every part of her, but it was obvious that she could see quite well from her vantage point. Bilbo answered the door only to find, to his immense surprise, a Dwarf standing in his doorway. Covered in tattoos from his arms to the top of his head and standing taller than Bilbo, this man looked quite intimidating. Kelly gasped softly from the shadows in such a pained way that it made Bilbo think that she knew him. Consequently, because Bilbo was worrying about Kelly, he wasn't paying proper attention to the Dwarf until a coat was shoved at him and the Dwarf entered his home. "I'm sorry but, do we know each other?" The Dwarf stopped for a moment, uttered a quick "No." then continued into the home. He began asking where the food was as "he" had said that there would be lots of it (whoever he was) so Bilbo, always wanting to be polite, quickly showed him to the spot at the table where his own dinner sat. The meal was quickly sacrificed to the Dwarf who ate it quickly then asked for more.

Kelly however, was now nowhere to be found and Bilbo didn't want to leave this Dwarf alone in his dining room as that would be exceedingly rude. "It's just, I wasn't expecting company." Bilbo began but was cut off by the doorbell ringing again. "That'll be the door." The Dwarf said almost condescendingly. When Bilbo got to the entrance, however, he found Kelly standing there dressed completely in her traveling gear with all her armor and weapons attached to her accompanied by her cloak with the hood up like before. She looked towards Bilbo and beckoned him forward as she opened the door, as it was his home it was his duty to greet any and all guests.

As soon as she saw Dwalin, Kelly instantly wanted to punch Gandalf right in his mouth. It became even worse when, after putting all her armor and weapons on to help hide her figure, she saw his brother Balin was the second to arrive. She quickly ran (well sprinted actually) to her room and locked the door as tears ran down her face. She thought they had died when Erebor was taken by the dragon! She thought she would never be able to apologize to Dwalin or even explain why she had left! She had told Bilbo everything about her love! She began softly crying as she slid down the door, determined to hide in her room as long as possible.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kelly heard the doorbell ring again and again. She could hear lots of talking and laughing, and she could hear furniture being moved. She still wasn't willing to face this group of Dwarves. She wouldn't. She couldn't. She - her thoughts were cut off as she tuned into what sounded like Bilbo panicking. Kelly felt a surge of remorse as she realized that she had done the worst thing imaginable to her friend. She had left him to fend for himself in a group of people whom he did not know. Kelly knew then that she would have to leave the safe haven of her room, and go help her friend.

Bilbo was running around frantically, trying to save antique chairs that shouldn't be sat on while also trying to stop the Dwarves from completely ruining his pantry. He was also wondering just why Kelly had run to her room as if her life depended on it. Suddenly, Bilbo stopped in his tracks as he heard one of the Dwarves yell "Dwalin! Come help us with this!" Looking around, he saw the first Dwarf that had entered his home begin to stride across the room. Bilbo quickly puffed up in anger. This was the Dwarf that had caused his friend so much pain; he had scarred her and made her hide her face! Before he could take even one step however, he felt a soft hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Kelly standing next to him shaking her head slowly. "Don't fret Bilbo. Yes he is here, and no he won't recognize me. He's alive and looks well and that's all that matters to me." Bilbo could tell that there was a smile on her face. Being the good friend that he was, decided to leave the matter alone and not confront the tattooed Dwarf. Bilbo decided to let Kelly deal with that issue when, and if, it ever arose.

The Dwarves quickly realized that there was someone in the room with them that was not of their group. Gandalf introduced her simply as an old friend of his who would be assisting them on their journey. The wizard knew better than to give her name out freely; she wished to keep her identity hidden for a bit longer and Gandalf could not go against her deepest wish. She avoided Dwalin as much as possible; constantly making sure her hood covered all of her face and only talking to the Dwarves that she hadn't met before. Then, while talking to Gandalf about her stay with Bilbo, she heard one of the younger Dwarves start a conversation about Dwarvish "Ones" and immediately she turned to listen. A few of the Dwarves shared stories of how their Ones were waiting for them in the Blue Mountains and would join them when this adventure was over. These stories were happy, full of love, and hinted at happy endings. Kelly was hoping that Dwalin wouldn't be asked to tell his story because then she would finally understand just how much he hated her.

However, she never was one for luck and it seemed the universe just wanted to torment her that night. "Dwalin, I think you should enlighten our young members of the darker side of finding your One." Balin said quietly, as though hoping not to upset his brother. Dwalin nodded once then crossed his arms and leaned against a wall, noticing that everyone including the woman had stopped what they were doing to listen to him. "I had met a woman long ago and she was beautiful, smart, and talented. Everything any man could ever want in his One the only problem was that she wasn't a Dwarf. She was a human blessed with long life from her adventures before we met." There was a collective gasp from the younger members, causing Dwalin to give them a look before continuing. "This was an insignificant thing, my family approved as did the King so we began our courtship with blessings all around. She was my everything and I tried to make sure she knew it. I knew she was not one for lavish gifts and shows of wealth, instead she liked her braids. It was obvious to anyone that the braids were her pride and joy as she never took them out and almost begged me to redo them each night. I had never been happier and everything was perfect, we were due to be married in a few months' time and so I celebrated." At this Dwalin stopped and took a shuddering breath before turning away so the group couldn't see his expression.

"I drank far too much that night and the last thing I can remember is wanting to go to her chambers to bid her a good night. I left the celebrations with a cask of mead in my arm and I don't remember anything until the next morning. I awoke on the floor of her chambers and to my horror, there were empty closets and every gift I had given her was gone. There was the sleeve of a dress, ripped from the garment, lying on the floor near me. Across the room there was a shattered mirror surrounded by blood, so much blood." Everyone, Kelly especially, could hear the sadness and horror in his voice and they all watched as his shoulders shook the smallest bit. "I am not quite sure what happened but I assumed that I had laid a hand on her and harmed her and she left. I drove my love away because I was too drunk, and I no longer know if she is alive or dead. I do know that I have never stopped loving her and I never shall." Dwalin turned around and pulled something from underneath his shirt then showed it to everyone. It was a beautiful and delicate ring tied to a string of leather to make a necklace. The ring was gold with a beautiful mixture of small diamonds and emeralds running across the top in such a fashion as to resemble running water. Next to the ring was tied a small strip of fabric, the same fabric that was pulled from the dress sleeve. "This was the only thing I have left of her lads. A piece of cloth that at one time held her scent and the ring I was going to wed her with."

A.N. So as everyone probably knows, I unfortunately do NOT own the Hobbit or any of the characters except my own. I do however, own my ideas so if you could not steal them? That'd be great :) and please remember that reviews are welcomed! Thanks :)


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Gandalf quickly cleared his throat and suggested that everyone move into the dining room to eat dinner. At the prospect of food, almost everyone became considerably happier. Kelly however, was trying to hold back her sobs of joy as she thought over everything Dwalin had said. He still loved her and he didn't blame her for leaving! Bilbo clasped Kelly's hand in his and began pulling her towards the rest of group then tried to make sure that she was able to sit where she wanted. Fili and Kili, some of the younger members who had looked so horrified by Dwalin's story, invited her to sit between them and she graciously accepted. Bilbo then stood off to the side and stared in horror at the Dwarves eating habits. They were throwing food to one another, taking bites too big for their mouths, and talking to each when they were still chewing!

After a while of sitting and enjoying her meal, Kelly leaned back in her chair and simply watched all the Dwarves around her. Fili and Kili were actually quite funny for being so young, they joked about almost everything and it quickly became obvious that they had a bond with a strength only family had. Kelly tried to keep her eyes off Dwalin but she was failing miserably. She noticed that it only took a small while before he was laughing and joking with his kin and friends which made her almost burst with joy. He was happy, content, and he looked like he had moved to a better place without her. Kelly decided then and there that she would join this Company to keep Dwalin _and _Bilbo safe. Now that she knew he was alive, she gave her word that she would give anything, including her life, to keep Dwalin safe and healthy.

Kelly had spent so much time thinking of all the scenarios in which he could be hurt that she didn't notice Bilbo having a heated discussion with Gandalf about all the Dwarves in his home. She also didn't notice Fili and Kili start throwing plates and other dishes until one almost caught her on the side of her head. Balin laughed loudly as he noticed the young woman looking left and right in a startled fashion. Then the two young brothers started singing while throwing dishes, which Bifur was thankfully catching and washing, while his brother Bofur lead some other Dwarves in a rhythmic tapping and clanking of the forks and knives. Kelly closed her eyes and listened to all the sounds begin to come together as one song, smiling when she heard Bilbo fussing over his mother's dishes being thrown around. As the song ended Kelly opened her eyes to find all of Bilbo's dishes cleaned and stacked on the table neatly which caused her burst into laughter, all the Dwarves joining in seconds later. This was all interrupted by three loud, booming knocks on Bilbo's front door. The group became almost somber as Gandalf said "He is here."

Everyone quickly moved to the entryway and waited for the door to be opened. Kelly did her best to stay towards the back of the group, almost hiding behind Fili and Kili who were quite tall by Dwarvish terms. She did manage to see who had entered and her poor heart almost stopped as she watched Thorin Oakenshield remove his outer coat while speaking to Gandalf. Flashbacks of her time at the mountain came quickly and Kelly reminisced on all the times she and Thorin had gotten caught in a discussion while she was waiting for Dwalin to finish his guard duties. Thorin had often been proud to call her a wonderful friend and had occasionally come to her for advice about his princely duties. She was brought harshly back to the present time by hearing Thorin talking badly about Bilbo right to his face.

"He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Thorin said scathingly while looking at Gandalf as if to ask if he was serious. Seeing that the wizard did intend to bring this Hobbit along, Thorin began looking at his fellow Dwarves. Gandalf had told him to expect another member of the company who could be of much assistance and he hoped the wizard was right. "You told me you would find us another member besides this soft Hobbit, wizard. Where is he?" Thorin froze as he felt the unmistakable sharpness of a blade being pressed against his back and a head set itself on his shoulder. "He did find you another member for your Company and _she_ is standing right here. She is also good friends with the Hobbit and does not appreciate you speaking to him in such a way." The pressure of the knife disappeared and Thorin turned around slowly to see a woman covered head to toe with a cloak. He could not see her face but he knew from her voice that she must be beautiful. In fact, that voice brought back memories, but of what he could not remember.

Kelly watched as Thorin went from looking insulted to curious in only a few minutes. "You seem familiar to me, who are you?" Gandalf answered before Kelly had even opened her mouth. "Thorin, this is an old friend of mine and she will be accompanying us on our journey. I assure you that she is one of the best warriors I have had the pleasure of meeting." Kelly stood a little taller at that compliment then nodded once to prove it was true. She then had an idea and though it was risky, it might make Thorin more comfortable with her joining.

"I will show you my face in private if you desire Master Oakenshield, if you would please follow me." With that, she turned around and marched to her room then paused and turned to beckon to the Dwarf King. He quickly followed, keeping all his weapons attached in case this mysterious woman tried anything dangerous. Once the door was shut and locked, Kelly turned towards Thorin who stood in the middle of the room with his feet should-width apart and his arms crossed. "Oh please Thorin, I'm not going to run you through with a sword. If I planned on killing you, I wouldn't do it in a Hobbits home." Thorin huffed a bit and had just opened his mouth to make a retort when the woman threw her hood back. "Kelly?!" Thorin gasped as he stumbled a few feet back while staring at the beautiful woman before him. He noticed the horrible scar on the right side of her face but to him, she was still as beautiful as he remembered. "We thought you dead! Dwalin thought you had left him forever! Who gave you that mark? Tell me now so that Dwalin and I may hunt them down and avenge you!" Kelly quickly crossed the room and covered Thorin's mouth in an attempt to keep him from being so loud. She didn't want Dwalin knowing who she was yet; she didn't want him to worry about her on this journey as she knew he would. "Thorin hush! Stop such ridiculous words, I am here now. That is all that should matter and I would appreciate you keeping your voice down!" The woman then embraced her old friend in a tight hug and smiled when he returned the gesture. "This mark is something I acquired the evening I left the mountain, Thorin. It doesn't bother me and I do not wish for the culprit to be hunted down."

The King looked confused for a moment before horror crossed his face and put the woman at arm's length, running his finger down her scarred cheek. "Dwalin did this to you?" Kelly nodded quickly then began to explain how it happened, just as she had to Bilbo. She then told Thorin, "I do not wish for him to know I am here. I spent our years apart thinking that he hated me, and then thinking he died when Erebor fell. I am not yet ready to face him and I will not distract him from this journey. I do not want him to be any less focused than he normally would be." It was then that Thorin remembered exactly why he had been such good friends with this woman. She would put Dwalin before her personal happiness because as long as he was alive, she would have time to fix things.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

After they had discussed a bit more, Kelly pulled her hood up and unlocked the door. She motioned for Thorin to exit first then followed behind him and they walked together to the dining room where everyone else had gathered. Everyone's eyes turned to the pair then just to Thorin, waiting for his word on this woman. "I introduce to you, an old friend of mine, Faline. She will be joining us on this quest and I expect her to receive every ounce of respect that she deserves. If I hear of her being mistreated because she is a woman, the person responsible will answer directly to me. That is, if Faline does not take care of the problem herself." Suddenly, all the men noticed just how heavily armed this woman was with daggers, small knives for throwing, and swords. Thorin and Kelly had decided to use the name she was given before she went to Erebor for an introduction as no one else knew this piece of information and therefore could not link it to her. Kelly bowed slowly and a quiet "At your service" could be heard from her. Thorin sat down at the head of the table and Kelly sat herself on his left side, next to Gandalf. All throughout the discussion of the quest, Kelly kept her hood up and her eyes alert for anyone who seemed too curious as to who she was. Thankfully, everyone was too absorbed in Thorin's speech to pay much attention to the woman; if Thorin said she could be trusted, then, she could be trusted.

Kelly wasn't paying much attention as Thorin had told her of the quest when they were in her room. It was because of this that she did not see Bilbo get handed a contract and she only focused on the conversation when she heard "Think furnace, with wings!" from Bofur. Kelly quickly turned in her seat to see Bilbo holding the contract, swaying slightly on his feet. He stood up a bit straighter only to say "No" and crumple to the ground in a heap. Springing to her feet quickly, Kelly lifted the Hobbit (who was much lighter than she had assumed) and carried him to the sitting room. She felt a Dwarf following her and asked, without looking back, if they would fetch some tea for Bilbo. Moments later a cup of tea was set down by Ori, whom Kelly assumed was the youngest of the Company. "Here you are Miss Faline; I was told it was a nice chamomile tea. Do you need any sugar?" the young Dwarf asked politely. "Thank you Ori but Master Baggins likes his tea pure, I shall tell him that you were the one that brought it to him." Ori couldn't see her face but he assumed that she had smiled kindly, if her voice was any indication. The young Dwarf nodded quickly, blushing, before he turned and walked to the other room where the rest of Dwarves had moved.

"Here Faline, let me take care of Mr. Baggins. Why don't you go join the dwarves for a while? I am sure they can entertain you." She nodded at Gandalf, who had appeared quite suddenly, then stood and walked into the open living room where the Company was. She sat in an armchair and immediately made herself comfortable, listening while Thorin started a soft song that was easily the saddest thing Kelly had heard in a long time. The other Dwarves joined in and soon the song became almost magical, Kelly carefully watched the fire as it danced to the music. Then her eyes drifted closed of their own accord and before she knew it, she was asleep.

Dwalin thought he was the last to go to bed as he passed Faline on his way. His curiosity peaked when he noticed that she was asleep. Why does she keep her face covered? Surely there can be nothing that horrible that it needs to remain hidden. Slowly he reached forward and tried to grab her hood. However, the moment his fingers touched the hood, he felt her grab his hand then suddenly he was being flipped through the air and he landed with an almighty crash on the floor. The next thing he was aware of was the woman pinning his hands down with her boots and one of her many daggers at his throat.

She leaned down close to him and said "I do not allow anyone to touch me ever. It would do you well to remember that." Kelly then got up and walked away from Dwalin, disappearing into her bedroom, leaving the poor Dwarf to lie on the floor stunned and with the breath knocked out of him. He got up moments later, a newfound respect in him for this woman. She would obviously be no damsel in distress.

A.N. I would like to thank everyone who had followed and favorited my story! It means a lot! Thank you everyone so much!


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next morning, the Dwarves were awoken by the smell of someone cooking. Going to investigate, they found Faline in the kitchen cooking food that she had gotten early that morning from the market. She had abandoned her cloak and opted instead for a wrapping around her head to cover her face. Now her eyes were the only part visible. "Sit down at the table and you'll be able to get your breakfast." She spoke with a commanding tone that allowed for no arguments. Every Dwarf quickly sat down and waited only a minute or two before food started being set on the table. Sausages, eggs, bacon, toast, and many other delicious breakfast items were presented. There was enough food for an army and even the Dwarves found themselves unable to eat it all. Kelly had disappeared during breakfast and began gathering all the supplies that the company would need. She began rolling up their bedrolls, packing bags, and generally tidying up so the Company would be able to get off to a smoother start. Once she heard the Dwarves finish eating, she hurried back to the kitchen with an armful of scarves from her room. Any leftover food that could be put into travel packs was quickly tied in different scarves then put into a separate traveling bag.

Kelly brought the bag into the room where most of the Dwarves had congregated, only to find them standing stock still and gaping at their packed supplies. "Did I pack something wrong or forget something important?" she asked sounding worried. All the Dwarves turned and looked at this woman with her beautiful blue eyes showing signs of worry and embarrassment. "You took the time to pack all of our things?" Thorin asked while taking a step towards her. "Of course!" She answered confusion evident in her voice. "I knew it would take longer if you lot ate and then packed your bags so I took some time and packed them for you. Is that alright?" Thorin laughed and the other Dwarves all smiled kindly at her before beginning to pick up their belongings. "It will be a welcome change, having a respectable woman along with us. Thank you for your time and consideration for our quest Faline." Thorin said while he continued to chuckle softly.

After loading the bags and the leftovers from breakfast onto the ponies, Kelly asked Thorin if he would bring her horse along with him. "I am going to stay behind and clean these dishes then see if Bilbo will change his mind about joining us. Either way I shall catch up with the company and I would like my horse to have a chance to walk before I have to ride him." Thorin nodded and took the reins from her after he mounted his pony then motioned for the Company to move out. Kelly went back inside and ran hot water in the sink then began scrubbing the dishes clean, running fire quickly over each of them to dry them perfectly. Just as she had finished cleaning and putting everything away, Bilbo came creeping around the doorway looking as though he thought the Dwarves would still be here. "Bilbo stop worrying, it's almost noon! The Dwarves wouldn't have stayed here this late; they had breakfast then set out." Kelly smiled at him as she dried her hands then walked over to the table and started strapping all her weapons into their rightful places. "I don't know about you but, since everything is clean, I plan on catching up. Are you coming with me?" When Bilbo started stammering and tried giving excuses as to why he couldn't go, Kelly tightened the wrapping around her head to make sure her face was covered except for her eyes then shouldered her pack and left the house. She made sure to walk slower than usual, shortening her stride and even taking time to stop and talk to some locals who had accepted her presence in her time here. Just as she had anticipated, Bilbo came running past her as fast as his short legs could carry him. Kelly simply laughed and, after a quick goodbye to the locals, took off after him. Her longer legs gave her an advantage when paired with her endurance so she caught up rather quickly, laughing joyously as she and Bilbo jumped over logs and dodged people.

She led Bilbo in the direction that she knew the Company had gone and they quickly caught up. "Wait! Wait!" Bilbo yelled, out of breath, to the Dwarves who stopped and turned to watch the pair running towards them. "I signed it!" Bilbo said proudly as he held out the contract to Balin. The elder Dwarf looked it over quickly then welcomed Bilbo to the Company as Kelly was getting onto her horse. "Where is your contract Faline? Please don't tell me that you've left it at home?!" Bilbo spoke in a panic, relaxing slightly as he heard the woman laugh. "No Bilbo, I signed my contract last night. I was coming on this adventure with or without you; though I am glad that you decided to come with us."

They traveled all day until sunset, only stopping for a moment when Bilbo had insisted they go back for his handkerchief. Bofur tore off a piece of his shirt and tossed it to Bilbo telling him to use that, after which Kelly led her horse next to Bilbo and gave him her own handkerchief. The Company traveled on with a chuckle and Gandalf told Bilbo that he would have to go without a great many things before their journey was over. Kelly spurred her horse up to talk to Thorin as she wanted to know how Dwalin had faired over the years. Thorin filled her in quickly and in hushed tones. Dwalin had been devastated at the loss of his love, throwing himself into his duties and quickly becoming head of the guard (Kelly knew that was something he had always wanted), this seemed to help a bit and Dwalin had gotten better. Then the dragon attacked and all the Dwarves lost everything. "In the middle of the attack, Dwalin ran back into the housing chambers because he hadn't worn the necklace that day. He almost died trying to retrieve the last items he had of you." Thorin told her while looking somber; knowing that he almost lost his best friend that day. "Aye that is true but it was worth it. I would not have wanted to live without that necklace like I've had to live without her. The items on this necklace are worth much more to me than my life." Kelly almost fell off her horse when she startled. She hadn't heard Dwalin approach them and him speaking so suddenly and so close to her, had scared her more than she would ever admit. She was losing her touch.

"This woman that you loved, what was her name?" Kelly asked hesitantly as she turned and looked at Dwalin. "Her name was Kelly. I never knew another name for her though I'm sure there were many. She was a woman that stories should have been written about; she was ferocious when it came to protecting those that she cared about. I never had to worry about her in battles because I knew that she could handle anything that was thrown at her. Apparently she had a secret weapon that she never had the chance to show me but it must have been marvelous if it came from her." Kelly almost kissed him then but caught herself just in time. She was not the woman that Dwalin was in love with, she was Faline; a warrior who wanted nothing more than see her friends safely through this journey. "You said you did not know if she was alive, why is that? You mentioned she had been blessed with long life. Isn't there a possibility that she could still be alive?" Kelly knew she was walking a thin line, but she hadn't talked to her love in so long. She wanted to know his thoughts on her and she wanted to listen to his voice. Dwalin shook his head slowly and sighed. "I went searching for her in all the surrounding villages of Men. In one I found a man who laughed at me when he heard I was asking for her. He opened his hand and in it was a lock of her beautiful hair. The man bragged that he had cut it from her pretty head before he had slit her throat and thrown her in the river. Needless to say, he didn't survive long after telling me this." Kelly nodded and looked away, she remembered that man. He had seen her practicing her gift and threatened to expose her if she did not marry him. She had refused and told him to expose her; no one would believe him anyway. He had flown at her in a rage, aiming his knife for her throat, and managed to cut a lock of her hair off. She burned him severely on his torso then fled the village but forgot about that cursed lock of hair.

"Who knows, Dwalin," Thorin said as he clapped his friend on the back, "Kelly may yet still be alive. Perhaps she simply cut her hair to shake your trail and the man kept it."

"Perhaps" Dwalin said with a wistful sigh. "If that is the case, once this quest is over, I will begin searching until the ends of the earth for her. Then, if I cannot find her, I will search further than that and not rest until I find my answer."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

They stopped on a cliff side that had enough room for everyone to lie down without being cramped together. Fili and Kili were on watch so everyone laid out their bedrolls and quickly went to sleep. Well, almost everyone, Bilbo could not sleep with the noise of the Dwarves snoring. He got up and walked around the sleeping members, heading towards the ponies. As he was feeding Myrtle an apple, he heard a screech tear through the night. Turning quickly, he asked Fili and Kili what made the noise. "Orcs" Kili replied, sitting forward a bit more. "Orcs?!" Bilbo asked loudly while moving closer to the group. Thorin jerked awake and Kelly jumped up from her bed, looking far too alert for someone waking up from a dead sleep. Bilbo noticed that she had pulled a knife and dagger from their sheaths when she was getting up. Once Kelly realized that they were not being attacked, she gave everyone a dirty look and lay back down to go back to sleep. Bilbo looked at Kili as he explained that Orcs struck in the wee hours of the night and only left lots of blood at the site, not realizing that Kili was telling Bilbo this with the sole intention of scaring him.

Kelly smiled with her eyes closed as she heard Thorin scold the young brothers for making a joke of something so horrific. She started to drift away but came back long enough to listen to Balin tell the story of the Dwarves attempt to take back Moria. Kelly remembered why she had missed that battle. Dwalin had actually chained her ankle to the bedpost then barred the door to keep her from coming along. At the time she was infuriated that she would be left behind. Once Dwalin came back to her though, all her anger disappeared; he looked so lost and forlorn that Kelly couldn't even utter a word. That night was spent with her holding Dwalin against her and rocking him slowly as he cried and cried. She sat up and looked at Thorin as Balin finished this story. Kelly dipped her head in acknowledgement of Thorin being King before she lay back down to get more sleep.

Kelly was awoken the next morning by the smell of Bombur warming up the leftover breakfast from yesterday. She stood up and stretched while also making sure her face was still covered. Looking around, she noticed that only Thorin, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, and she were awake. Thorin nodded to Kelly and beckoned her to follow him which she did without hesitation, looking at Dwalin as she walked past him. "How can I help you this morning Thorin?" Kelly asked once they were a sufficient distance away from the group. Thorin sighed and brought his hand to his face, looking as though the weight of an entire world was upon his shoulders. "I believe it would be best if you told Dwalin who you really are."

Letting out a sort of choking sound, Kelly backed up a few steps while staring at Thorin as if he had grown another head. "Why on middle earth would I do such a thing? That would distract him, hell it might even send him into shock! I refuse to be the reason he gets hurt on this quest!" She had a conviction in her voice that was hard to argue with. "I spoke to him during his watch last night." Thorin said. "I am convinced that the best way to make him completely happy would be to let him have his One back. He is a guard by nature, show yourself and let him guard you!" Kelly looked thoughtful and started pacing back and forth, running her hands over her face again and again before finally turning to Thorin.

"Fine, have it your way. I will let Dwalin know who I am but only when I am ready and only if the correct opportunity presents itself." She pointed a finger at Thorin accusingly before adding, "If I find that you have told him or even dropped hints, before I am ready for this to happen, so help me Thorin Oakenshield, I will castrate you faster than you could pray to Mahal for deliverance." Thorin simply laughed at her, pulling her into a hug and reminding her that this was going to be to the benefit of all.

After returning to the group and finishing breakfast, the Company packed up their supplies and headed out once again. Kelly continued making idle chatter with most of the group, while also being careful to avoid Dwalin. She perked up about halfway through the day, putting her nose to the air then suddenly turning in her seat and rifling around in her bag. The group became immensely curious as she pulled her cloak out and threw it on quickly; making sure it covered every inch of her body. She then pulled out a small cover and tied it around her horse's head, which didn't seem to bother the animal a bit. "Lass what in the world are you doing? You look as though you're preparing for rain." Kelly just shook her head at them all as she chuckled softly. It wasn't 10 minutes later that a loud clap of thunder was heard and a sudden downpour left the Dwarves scrambling to find their own cloaks. This just made the woman throw her head back and laugh hysterically, earning her some dirty looks from a few people.

Once the rain stopped hours later, during which Gandalf and Bilbo had a wonderful discussion about Radaghast the Brown, Thorin decided that they would make camp near what looked to be an old farmhouse. Kelly listened as Gandalf tried convincing Thorin to move on, as he felt this place was not safe. Gandalf then broached the tender subject of Elves, which Thorin obviously wanted nothing to do with. This then led to Gandalf grabbing Kelly's hand and pulling her away with him, mumbling about how we was going to be with the only people who had sense around here. Himself and Miss Faline.

After a few hours of walking around with Gandalf, Faline was feeling a bit worried about the Company. What if she and Gandalf were right and there was a bad presence in that area? She interrupted Gandalf in the middle of some wizardly thing to ask him about the Company. "Do you think they're alright Gandalf? Is there a way that you can check?" Wishing to quiet the woman's worries, Gandalf nodded and closed his eyes; focusing on finding the regal feeling that was Thorin and his nephews. Opening his eyes with a gasp, the wizard quickly stood up and ran in the direction they had come. A loud yell of "Trolls!" was the only answer Kelly got, and needed, as she took off after Gandalf. They found the trolls and the Company. Some Dwarves were tied in sacks while others were being turned on a roasting spit. Kelly noticed with a blush that they had been forced to strip to their underclothes and all their belongings were piled next to a tree. Knowing that she wouldn't be much help, Kelly watched as Gandalf quickly split a rock in half with his magic; immediately turning the trolls into solid stone.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

She quickly helped the Dwarves get their clothes and weapons, muttering "I'm so sorry I wasn't here" to anyone who would listen. None of them were mad at her, as they knew that if she had been with them she would have ended up in the same predicament they had. Once everyone was clothed and settled (Kelly did her best not to look at Dwalin as he dressed) they began looking for the cave the trolls had been using. Thorin, Gandalf, Dwalin, Bofur, Nori, Gloin, and Kelly were the only ones to venture into the cave. Kelly unconsciously stuck close to Dwalin and watched as Thorin found some swords made by the Elves. Dwalin looked over at Bofur, Nori, and Gloin only to find them burying a chest filled with gold. "We're making a long-term deposit." Gloin said happily, which caused Kelly and Dwalin to give identical scoffs and shakes of their heads. Then, at Thorin's call, they all left the cave with Gandalf trailing behind. Kelly then watched as Gandalf emerged and gave Bilbo a nice looking, Hobbit sized sword.

They heard a quick call of "Something's coming!" which caused everyone to rush in that direction, pulling out axes and swords. Bilbo finally got a glimpse of Kelly's sword which was silver and looked as though it was multiple pieces of metal braided together to make a beautiful but deadly weapon. He assumed that if the blade was as sharp as it looked, anyone on the receiving end would die within minutes. Everyone heard something traveling through the brush at a fast pace and took their battle stances only to stare in shock as an odd looking man on a sleigh being pulled by rabbits came through the brush. "Thieves! Fire! Murder!" the man screamed as he came to a stop. "It's Radaghast! Radaghast the Brown!" Gandalf said with relief as he put his sword back in its sheath.

After some conversation which involved Gandalf pulling a stick insect from Radaghast's mouth, the two wizards moved off to have a more private discussion. This left the Company to basically twiddle their thumbs as they waited for their wizard to finish his business. Kelly began pulling out her weapons and inspecting them one at time. She was examining a throwing knife and talking to Ori about how she may have to get a new one once they reached a town. Their conversation was interrupted however, by a loud howl which caused everyone to stand up and look around; they were all now completely tense. Kelly let out a yell and pointed as a Warg appeared over a hilltop then came barreling down towards the group. It was quickly killed by Thorin but another came right behind it. Kili shot it with his bow and Dwalin finished the beast off with his hammer. Gandalf then confronted Thorin, asking who he had told of his quest besides his kin. Kelly heard someone mutter that maybe "that blasted woman" was a traitor, to which she turned around and glared. "Who said that?!" She yelled, looking for a pair of guilty eyes. Finding none she turned back around as Thorin asked "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted." Was the only reply Gandalf gave to the King. Kelly thought things couldn't get worse until Ori came running back yelling that their ponies had bolted. Radaghast quickly offered to use himself as bait, telling Gandalf that he would like to see these wargs try to outrun his Rhosgobel rabbits. The Company waited until they were sure that the Orc pack was following Radaghast before they left the cover of the trees. They began running full speed from rock pile to rock pile, trying desperately to stay together. Kelly unconsciously took it upon herself to stay with the younger members of the group who were probably much more inexperienced than they would admit. Suddenly, seeing the pack cross too close for comfort, Kelly stopped Ori from running out after the rest of the company. There were now about 200 meters between her group, and the rest of the company. Knowing that their best chance was simply running and hoping for the best, she motioned for the others to run then took off behind them.

Suddenly Ori, Kili, Bilbo, and Kelly found themselves surrounded by rider less Wargs. The other group was looking at them in panic, unsure of what to do. Standing up tall and proud, Kelly yelled as loud as possible, "Dwalin! Light a match and do it now!" She knew that he would never go anywhere without matches. As soon as she felt the fire come to life, she put her hand out and stole to fire from the match. Holding her hands together like a small cage with the fire inside, she told the others to get down as she looked at the wargs that were coming ever closer. Taking a deep breath, Kelly let the fire surround her body then shot it out in a large circle. She asked the fire to travel through the wargs noses and into their brains instead of burning them from the outside in. The animals died almost instantly and without sound, leaving all the Company in awe of what their female companion was capable of. "Get up! Quickly now! We must keep moving!" Kelly said as she pulled Ori off the ground, trying not to sway on her feet. She wasn't used to such exertion and it had drained her more than she thought. Shaking her head quickly, she kept a flame in her hand as she caught up to the group who were now hiding behind another set of rocks. Unable to pay much attention, Kelly didn't notice that they were in trouble until Kili jumped out and shot at something twice. A warg and its rider came falling off the rocks and were killed swiftly though not without noise.

Knowing they would soon be discovered Gandalf yelled at them all to run, failing to notice as Kelly kept stumbling and tripping while running. They were suddenly surrounded by wargs again and Gandalf had disappeared. "He's abandoned us!" was Dwalin's answer to Dori asking where the wizard was. Kelly knew that he was actually looking for the entrance to the Hidden Pass so she stood tall and held her ground as the wargs closed in. "Kill the witch!" One of the orcs yelled as another fired an arrow directly at her forehead. The arrow burst into flames before it came any closer than 10 feet to the woman. Kelly knew that all she had to do was stay conscious long enough to protect the Company and things would work themselves out. She shot a ball of fire at a warg that lunged for Dwalin; it wasn't enough to kill the animal but it would be stunned for a moment. "This way you fools!" Gandalf yelled as he appeared from behind some rocks. Thorin reached the entrance first then stood waiting as the other members jumped down the open hole in the ground.

Counting all the members as they jumped in, Thorin turned to his nephew who still stood shooting arrows. "Kili! Run!" Thorin yelled then jumped in after his nephew, sliding down into a cave of sorts. They all stood at the ready for the orcs to chase them but their attention was turned to Bilbo as he let out a horrified squeak. "Kelly is still up there! She didn't jump down with the rest of us!" Gandalf turned his face upwards in horror and sadness, thinking he had just lost a good friend. The Dwarves then looked at the hole as they heart a gut-wrenching female scream of pain followed by the sound of a horn blowing and two bodies falling into the hole. With weapons aimed at the orc with an arrow through its chest, they were surprised to see it start moving until it was rolled over to reveal Kelly lying underneath it. She was panting heavily and had some scrapes but she looked to be alright. The woman quickly stood up with an angry look on her face. It was then that the arrow sticking out of her shoulder became noticeable; she glared at the offending weapon then without so much as flinching, ripped it out of her arm. "Stupid, useless, dirty, worthless, animal abusing, waste of life!" Kelly exclaimed as she delivered fierce kicks to the dead orc. Thorin then interrupted her tirade by pulling her into a strong hug which surprised her. "Oh, hello Thorin. How nice to see you again! Lovely jog we had back there wasn't it?" Everyone let out a big sigh and a few chuckles as they realized that this woman was far too stubborn to let a simple wound stop her.

A.N. Thank you everyone for reading my story! It means a lot to me! This is my last chapter for the night but I promise that I will continue tomorrow! Shout out to all the people who are following this story and to those that have made it a favorite! Thank you and don't forget those reviews! :)


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The Company looked around and discovered that they were in a cave that went deeper than they originally thought. Following the path, they made twists and turns which soon became confusing. Suddenly, a soft thump was heard from the back of the group causing everyone to turn and look. Thorin let out a cry of alarm as he saw Kelly lying on the ground; he ran to the woman and lifted her up. "Don't worry about me lads, I've just overexerted myself. All I need is a bit of rest, let's continue on." Kelly straightened up but leaned slightly on Thorin for support, careful not to get any of her blood on his clothes. They emerged from the cave into a beautiful valley, full of waterfalls and abundant plant life.

"Bilbo! Come help me walk for a moment please!" Kelly asked while leaving Thorin and Gandalf behind. This was the Valley of Imladris, otherwise known as Rivendell; home to the Elves. The woman knew that there was going to be an argument and she wanted no part of it. Instead she conversed with Bilbo, asking him how he was fairing and making sure that he had gotten enough to eat recently.

Dwalin couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy toward the Hobbit. He felt a connection to this woman, though he didn't know why; and therefore felt somewhat protective over her. He didn't like the way Bilbo was always close to her, always touching her hand or arm, and he certainly didn't like the way their Burglar always seemed to make her laugh. Dwalin was berating himself for feeling anything for this woman when he already had a woman to love. In the middle of this inner battle, he noticed the woman suddenly sag against Bilbo who looked unable to handle all her weight. She tumbled to the ground, unconscious for a moment, and unfortunately took Bilbo with her.

Bofur hurried over and pulled Bilbo to his feet while Dwalin picked Faline up and held her in his arms like she was a bride. Her head lolled back and she was completely limp for a moment but she was breathing. The Company continued walking and after a few tense minutes, she awoke and looked up at Dwalin. "What happened? Why are you carrying me? Did I hurt anyone?" Kelly was worried that, while being unconscious, her powers might have reached out and drawn any live flames to her. Dwalin shook his head and smiled at her, thinking how similar Faline sounded to his Kelly when she was worried. "You lost consciousness for a moment. Are you alright to walk or would you like me to carry you the rest of the way?" Dwalin watched as her blue eyes darkened in anger and he quickly set her down without her having to say a word.

After Thorin was finished with his childish tantrum, the Company began to descend into the valley slowly with Gandalf at the lead. The Dwarves watched the woman as she pulled a few purple leaves from her bag and began chewing on them. The leaves seemed to give her more energy and bring some color back into her face. Bilbo explained that the leaves were from a bush back in his garden then went into detail about why she was eating them.

They arrived on a platform and were greeting by a male Elf. He was beautiful, like the rest of his kind, but held a sort of arrogance that immediately set Thorin's teeth on edge. "Lindir!" Gandalf exclaimed as he approached the stairs where the Elf was standing. Kelly walked away from the Dwarves and stood next to Gandalf, who was asking about Lord Elrond's whereabouts. "My lord Elrond is not here." Lindir answered while looking over at the woman next to Gandalf. She was shapely but obviously a warrior. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue and Lindir immediately found himself interested in her. "Not here? Well where is he?" Gandalf asked as he took a step in front of Kelly to gain the Elf's attention. They were interrupted by the sound of a horn being blown; the Company turned at the noise and saw a large group of horses making their way down the path.

"Close ranks!" Thorin yelled as the Dwarves drew their weapons and pulled Bilbo into the middle of the circle they made. Dwalin looked at Faline, beckoning her to join them and was shocked when she shook her head. Her eyes crinkled in a way that made him think she was smiling at him. His thoughts were interrupted as he focused on the horsemen that were surrounding them, they were all Elves and they looked as though they had just come from a hunt. A man dismounted and greeted Gandalf, who stepped forward to meet him. As they were discussing, Linder stepped forward and greeted the mystery woman who had caught his eye. "I am Lindir, may I have your name beautiful maiden?" Kelly didn't even turn and acknowledge the Elf; she had no interest in other men and especially not this Elf who thought he was so high and mighty. She didn't notice to flicker of anger that passed Lindir's face when she willfully ignored him, instead she was watching Elrond. He had turned to the Dwarves and was speaking them in Elvish, offering them food but they didn't know that of course. "What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?!" Gloin asked angrily as he pushed his way closer to Elrond. "No Master Gloin, he's offering you food." Kelly snickered softly as Gloin then told Elrond to lead on. This caused Elrond to turn and look at the guest he had not noticed. "Faline! It has been much too long!" Elrond strode forward and hugged the woman, who stiffened then laughed and hugged the Elf back. "Yes, I can say it has been. I have been much too busy to visit as you're probably all too aware." Kelly knew Elrond had the gift of foresight so he had probably known that she wouldn't be visiting for a while. "You are Faline?" Lindir gasped and quickly bowed as the woman turned to look at him. He had no idea that he had been speaking to a woman who was practically legend.

"They know you here?" Thorin asked as they were being led to a dining hall. He noticed that some of the Elves bowed as they noticed Kelly walking through the halls. "Yes, they required my assistance many years ago. My gift was quite helpful to them and I was more than happy to help. They, and their woodland kin, are the reason I have long life." Thorin nodded and kept silent until they reached the dining hall. "Who else knows of your gifts? I was under the impression that we were friends and yet I did not learn of them until today." Kelly could hear the scorn and the barely contained anger. "The Elves were the only ones. They saved me from an early death and I pledged my help in return. I knew that if I had shown my powers in Erebor, I would be asked to become either a worker of the mines or a weapon in an army. Neither of which I wanted. My powers are a gift and I only use them in the greatest of needs. I will never allow anyone to make me into something I do not wish to be, not even you, Thorin Oakenshield." She then went to the opposite end of the table and wouldn't even look at Thorin for the rest of the meal.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After they finished their meal, which the Dwarves were quite unsatisfied with due to only having vegetables, the Company was led into a large room where they would be staying. "Faline, you're bleeding! We need to get you looked at!" Ori cried as he noticed her shoulder was still unattended to. Before the Dwarf could get his supplies, however, Lindir had appeared from behind them and offered to take her to a healer. "That would be wonderful, thank you." Kelly said as she shot another glare at Thorin before following the Elf.

"Sit here and take off your armor while I fetch a healer to look at you." Lindir was being much more polite than Kelly had assumed he would be; she had blatantly ignored him after all. Not wanting to overthink the situation, Kelly began taking off the leather armor that protected her rib cage and vital organs. She then sat and waited patiently for the healer, who arrived not a moment later with Lindir trailing behind. "Alright this may hurt a bit when I pull your tunic off as the blood has dried a bit." Kelly nodded at the healer and grasped the edge of the bed she was sitting on. She felt only a slight stinging sensation then looked down to see her shoulder covered in blood. The healer made a scornful noise before looking at the woman in front of her. "Did you tear the arrow out yourself?" When Kelly nodded, the woman's nose crinkled slightly before she began applying herbs to the wound. "I figured as much. With any luck, you'll only have minimal scarring and we'll be able to avoid an infection."

Once her shoulder was cleaned, the wound stitched together, then covered in a wrapping, Kelly was allowed to leave. As the healer was helping her tie her armor back on, the woman leaned forward and asked in a whisper, "Is it true what they say? Are you really the one called Faline who saved our people so long ago?" Faline sighed and nodded slowly before pulling her right sleeve up, showing a small tattoo that was the Sindarin symbol for savior. "Thranduil gave this to me, along with prolonged life. I have never regretted it and I would do it again if need be." The healer bowed deeply before tying the last knot on the armor. "May the Valar bless you Faline."

While on her way back to the Company, Kelly didn't notice that she was being followed. She was finally feeling the ache of her shoulder and wasn't paying as much attention as she should have. A hand suddenly covered her mouth and pulled her into a room; a library it seemed to be. "I apologize for my rudeness but I had to see you." Kelly turned around quickly and saw Lindir standing there, his hands clasped in front of him. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself to treat him kindly for she was a guest in Rivendell. "Apology accepted Lindir. May I ask why you needed to see me and in such an urgent fashion?" The Elf took a few steps towards the woman, causing her to back up slowly. "I knew the moment I saw you that you were special. Then once I learned of your name, I knew that I had to persuade you to stay with me in Rivendell. I knew that I could not let you say no. Dear Faline, won't you let me touch you?" Kelly kept backing away from Lindir and his outstretched hands. Suddenly, she felt her back touch a wall and she let out a gasp as she realized that she was trapped. Before she could move, Lindir had put his hands on either side of her head and pressed his body against hers. "Lindir stop! You don't know what you're doing! Please let me go!" Kelly tried warning him before he lost control of himself completely and she had to do something drastic. Not wanting to hear her complaints, Lindir slapped her across the face then began trying to untie her armor. He then made the grave mistake of reaching up with one hand and pulling at the wrapping around Kelly's head. Immediately a ball of fire pushed him to the other side of the room. Lindir looked up in horror as Faline stood before him, fire clinging to her arms and an orange tint to her eyes. He watched as the fire turned blue and wrapped around her body as though it was caressing and comforting her.

Turning her back on the Elf, Kelly left the library and continued on her way to find the Dwarves. She let the fire continue to wrap and undulate around her body, giving her comfort and whispering its sweet words to her in a language only she knew. Unable to keep it in any longer, Kelly burst into tears of anger and humiliation as she turned down another hallway. How was she going to look at another male Elf the same? How was she going to tell the Company why she was crying? Kelly could feel her eye and the left side of her face bruising from the hit she received and she knew that there would be no hiding it.

The Dwarves, completely unaware of what had happened, were sitting in their room where they had broken some Elvish tables and started a fire to cook some meat for themselves. The only announcement of Faline's arrival was the fire flaring up dangerously and the doors being slammed open. Dwalin looked to the door quickly and saw the strangest phenomenon to ever meet his eyes. Faline stood there, wrapped in a blue fire with her chest heaving and tears streaming from her eyes. The farther into the room she walked, the higher their fire continued to grow. Then Faline flicked her wrist and the fire calmed instantly. She then sat between Dwalin and Bilbo which caused the blue fire around her to dissipate.

Faline leaned against Bilbo, much to Dwalin's annoyance, and tried to hide her face. Bilbo attempted to get her to talk but she only answered with a shake of her head. Suddenly, going on a small suspicion, Dwalin grabbed the woman by her uninjured shoulder and made her face him. Her eyes were still a beautiful blue but had a small ring of orange around them that seemed to shimmer and dance. That wasn't what captured his attention however; it was the quickly darkening bruise surrounding her left eye and disappearing on her cheek which was still covered by the wrapping. "Faline, who did this to you?' She gave no answer, only staring at him. Thorin turned then and stared at her. "Faline, tell us who dared to lay a hand on you!" Dwalin said, this time louder and not as gentle. She looked over his shoulder, towards the door, then back at him. "An Elf did this to you?" Faline nodded her head yes, eyes filling with tears again. Dwalin, unable to find the correct insults in his mind, looked to Thorin who was staring daggers out the doorway.

"Lord Elrond will hear of this, I promise you, though it will have to be in a letter. Everyone get to sleep, we'll be leaving tomorrow at first light." Faline touched Dwalin's hand, which was still on her shoulder, indicating that she wanted him to let go. When he did, she reached into the fire slowly and pulled out a ball of flames. Flinging it towards the door, the Dwarves stared in wonder as it made a wall in front of the door. "It's so that no one can enter while we sleep. I thought it might come in handy in a place such as this." When she spoke, Faline's voice was scratchy and laced with pain but still had a beautiful note of protection in it. Thorin thanked her before laying down in his bedroll and turning on his side. He would ask Faline for more information when she was ready to give it.

A.N. Thank you to everyone who wrote reviews! Keep them coming! I'm working as fast as I can on these chapters but I want to always make sure they're good enough for you lovely people to read!


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

They rose early the next morning and quietly packed their belongings then set off in the direction of the Wilds. Some members of the company complained quietly about not having breakfast (Bilbo especially) but didn't dare say anything to Thorin. The leader of their company was in a horrible mood that was caused by the size and color of the bruise on their female companion's face. They could still only see her eyes but, while her right eye was perfectly normal, her left eye was swollen nearly shut and the skin around it was almost black. Kelly sneaked off in the middle of the night and raided the Elves medical supplies, though she doubted Elrond would mind after receiving Thorin's letter. When Kelly read the letter, she flushed at how menacing it sounded even just being on paper. Thorin mentioned Lindir's name and said that if he ever came across the Elf again, things wouldn't end well.

During her search of the medical supplies, she found a strange smelling ointment that Oin said would most likely help heal her bruise much faster. Now, a few hours later, Kelly had been applying the ointment frequently. The swelling had gone down significantly and the bruise had gone from almost black to a deep yellow color. It still wasn't a pretty sight but it was getting better. Kelly had stayed toward the back of the group with Bilbo who didn't seem too inclined to ask questions about last night. Instead they talked about what the garden was probably going to look like when Bilbo got home. When she was putting more ointment on her eye, Kelly took a deep breath of air through her nose then shouted a quick "Cloaks on gentlemen!" before she grabbed her own cloak.

The Company didn't doubt her word this time and they all pulled their cloaks on. Half an hour later the rain started suddenly and violently with thunder and lightning abundant. There were rocks falling from above them, their footing slipping out from under them, and it had steadily gotten darker. The storm was becoming more dangerous by the minute when suddenly Balin spotted a stone giant who was throwing a rock directly at their mountain. After a few terrifying moments (in which their mountain turned out to be a stone giant as well) Kelly watched as one half of the Company disappeared between a rock face and stone giant's knee. Thinking that the worst had happened and that they had all been killed, Thorin along with the rest of group ran to the spot. They let out large sighs of relief as they saw that nobody had died, they were just a little shaken. Kelly then noticed that Bilbo was missing, and she wasn't the only one. "Where's Bilbo?" came the panicked shout and everyone looked over the edge to see the Hobbit hanging on by the tips of his fingers. Just out of reach, Thorin made the fast decision of jumping down and grabbing Bilbo himself.

After pulling Thorin up, Dwalin looked over to see Kelly hugging Bilbo and petting his hair soothingly. She seemed to be mothering him and, while Bilbo looked a bit uncomfortable, Dwalin growled a bit nonetheless. "I thought we had lost our Burglar." Dwalin said, trying to cover up his anger. "He's been lost ever since he left his home. He should not have come; he has no place amongst us." Thorin said harshly, causing Bilbo to step closer to Kelly. The woman glared daggers at Thorin and wrapped her arms even tighter around Bilbo, whispering into his ear quickly. Whatever it was, made the Hobbit smile and nod his head. They knew that they needed to find shelter quickly before this storm could blow them right off the mountain.

After finding and searching a small cave, the company laid out their belongings hoping for a fire to warm them up. "No fire's in this place." Thorin said quickly then set his own belongings down. Getting a mischievous look on her face, Kelly asked all the Dwarves to stand still. She pulled out a match, struck it, and then collected the flames in her hand. "Now this won't burn you, I promise. It will however, dry your clothes much faster and make everyone more comfortable." The flames then burst out towards the Dwarves in ribbons. It surrounded each of them, causing steam to burst from their clothes and they all let out sighs of content. Once their clothes were dry, the flames moved to their packs and bedrolls; drying those items just as quickly. "There, now isn't that much better?" The Dwarves nodded quickly and smiled at their companion before lying down on their still warm bedrolls. As Thorin was getting ready to lie down, he felt a flash of heat then a small stinging sensation on his hand. He looked down to see his hand covered in small stream of flame. Looking up at Kelly, he noticed the dark look in her eyes and was immediately cautious of the fire. "Watch your tongue around our burglar, Thorin Oakenshield. Master Baggins is first and foremost my friend and I will not tolerate any abuse of him." When he nodded, the flames pulled back to Kelly then disappeared as she willed them away.

Kelly laid down on her bedroll and applied more of the ointment to her eye, which felt much better now and didn't throb with every beat of her heart. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, dreaming of the times she spent with Dwalin. When things were simple and she had nothing to hide except her gift. She was awakened by the sound of Bilbo and Bofur talking. Bilbo was talking about going home to the Shire and Kelly was silently cursing Thorin and his entire family. He should have known that his harsh words would get under the sensitive Hobbit's skin. Suddenly, the sound of sand sliding through an opening could be heard which caused Kelly's eyes to snap open. "Up! Get up!" Thorin yelled as he noticed the sand falling. There wasn't enough time because as soon as she was out of her bedroll, the floor fell out from under Kelly and the rest of the Company. Sliding down a long tunnel, everyone became disoriented and unable to grab any weapons.

They all landed harshly on a platform and were quickly surrounded by goblins. Kelly knew better than to struggle and let them pull her along quickly. Seeing their destination, she turned to make sure the Dwarves were cooperating. They weren't, of course, and were fighting tooth and nail against their captors. "Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" the Great Goblin yelled as the Company was brought before him. "Dwarves your malevolence." "Dwarves?" Now the Goblin sounded curious. "We found them on the front porch." The Great Goblin then ordered for them to be searched. Kelly looked around in panic as she noticed that Bilbo wasn't with them; she began struggling with the goblins holding her as she tried to see her friend. "What are you doing in these parts? Speak!" Not one person in the Company made a sound. "Very well, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring up the mangler, bring up the bone breaker! Start with the youngest." Ori looked terrified at the idea of torture. "This one is no Dwarf my liege!" The goblins holding Kelly quickly pulled her forward then pulled her to her knees, forcing her to look up at the Great Goblin. "A woman? Why are you traveling in these parts and with Dwarves nonetheless?" When she did not answer, the Goblin became extremely frustrated. "Take off her covering! Let me see her face!" "Wait!" Thorin exclaimed before the goblins could expose his friend. "Well, well, well! Look who it is! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, king under the mountain." The Great Goblin gave a bow, obviously mocking Thorin, then continued on his rant. Calling Thorin a nobody then mentioning Azog the Defiler.

"Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago." Thorin along with the rest of the Company looked horrified as the Goblin hinted at Azog still being alive. "Send word to the pale orc, tell him I have found his prize." the Great Goblin cackled as his messenger left. He then motioned for his goblins to restrain Thorin as he turned to look at the woman again. "Now, for this mystery to be solved. Will you show us who you are willingly or will I have to force you?" Kelly kept completely silent, her eyes trained on the torch in front of her. She was waiting for the right moment to try to escape without getting any of the Company killed. Gasping as the wrapping around her head was ripped off, the woman immediately tucked her face into her shoulder to avoid being seen. One of the goblins holding her then grabbed her chin and turned her face towards the Great Goblin, putting her in the direct line of sight of the Company.

"Kelly?!" was the only sound in the entire room. This shout held enough pain in it to break a thousand hearts and it came directly from Dwalin.

A.N. - So obviously, I don't own anything but my character and my ideas. The rest is owned by Tolkien and his wonderful mind!


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After his outburst, Dwalin began thrashing around in an attempt to get to his One. It was the only thing he could think about at the moment. Suddenly, a goblin took one of its clubs and hit Dwalin upside the head which stunned him for a few moments. All the torches in the cavern flared brighter as Kelly let out a loud growl. The goblins were searching through their possessions and as a goblin pulled Thorin's sword out, it screeched loudly and threw it down. "I know that sword! It is the Goblin-cleaver! The Biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks!" The Great Goblin cried as he scurried back onto his throne. "Slash them, beat them, peel them, kill them all!" the Goblin orders for Thorin's head to be cut off and suddenly there is a bright flash of light that knocks everyone down.

"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" the Company hears Gandalf yell. They scramble for their weapons then start fighting.

Suddenly a wall of flames takes out over half of the goblins on the platform. The Dwarves look to see Kelly surrounded completely in flames, her eyes a bright orange. "Follow me. Quick! Run!" Gandalf says then takes off down a bridge. The Company follows except Dwalin who runs to Kelly. She quickly grabs his hand, the fire wrapping around him as well, then they both take off after the Company. Killing goblins while still running, Kelly sees that Ori is in a spot of trouble and jumps to help him. She hears the twanging of bow strings and turns swiftly to see Kili blocking arrows with an old ladder. Running a bit faster to catch up with the Company, she noticed Dwalin lagging behind; he was waiting for her. Suddenly a goblin turns a corner and aims an arrow, right at Dwalin who isn't paying attention. "Dwalin!" She screamed as she saw a goblin release the arrow towards his unprotected back. Quickly, faster than she would've believed possible, she threw her body in the path of the arrow. She knew she would probably die from the wound but she would do anything to save him, the only man she had ever allowed herself to love. The arrow buried itself just below her navel, the shaft going at least halfway into her body.

She grunted softly but kept running, pushing her body to its limit so she wouldn't get anyone killed. Dwalin, locked in battle with another goblin, failed to notice his One take an arrow for him. When she streaked past him, stabbing her sword through the goblin he was battling, he grabbed her hand then followed. They were almost out when the Great Goblin jumped onto the bridge, blocking their way. "You thought you could escape me!" The Goblin pushed Gandalf back into the Dwarves, who caught him and pushed him upright. "What are you going to do now, wizard?" Gandalf poked the Goblin in the eye with his staff then slashed his stomach. "That'll do it." The Great Goblin then gets his throat slashed and he collapses onto the bridge. Not able to handle the sudden shift in weight, the bridge collapses and the Company is plunged into the deep cavern below. They manage to "ride" the bridge to the bottom and land safely; Kelly immediately pulls herself out of the wreckage and puts her hand against her wound. "Well that could have been worse." Bofur says cheerily before the corpse of the Great Goblin lands on top of the bridge wreckage. "You've got to be joking!" Dwalin groans then pulls himself and begins helping others out as well. Kili notices that the remained goblins are scaling down the walls to come kill them and he alerts Gandalf. "There's too many, we can't fight them."

"Only one thing will save us. Daylight! Come on!" They all begin running behind Gandalf with Kelly trailing at the back. Her breathing is labored and her vision is getting fuzzy but she keeps pushing herself; she won't let herself stop until they get out of these cursed caves. They finally found the exit and began running down the hill, Gandalf began counting each person. "Five, six, seven, eight. Bifur, Bofur, that's ten. Fíli, Kíli, that's twelve. And Bombur, that makes fourteen. Where's Bilbo? Where is our hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!" Kelly looks panicked and recounts multiple times, getting more and more upset. She tunes out the current conversation to think of the last time she saw him.

Her head snaps up as she hears, "I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing our hobbit again, he is long gone." Looking at Thorin, she opens her mouth to reply but is cut off. "No, he isn't." Bilbo steps out from behind a tree, tucking something into his pocket at the same time. Thorin asks Bilbo why he came back, and after a touching response about Bilbo wanting to help the Dwarves get back what was taken from them, Thorin nodded.

Unable to keep herself standing any longer, Kelly stumbled towards Dwalin. She mumbled his name softly before collapsing to the ground. "No!" Dwalin shouts as he runs to Kelly, turning her over and almost sobbing as he sees the arrow sticking out of her body. Looking around at all the blood, he wonders how he didn't see it sooner. He suddenly feels a soft hand stroking his face and looks at Kelly to see her bright blue eyes staring up at him. "Why didn't you tell me?" Dwalin asked while putting his hand on hers. She didn't know if he was asking about her being alive or the arrow so she answered both with one statement. "I did it to keep you safe. I promised to keep you alive and I've done the best I could." Her eyes slowly closed and her head tilted back. "No! No! Kelly don't you do this to me! I won't lose you, not again!" Dwalin shook her then looked up at Oin who was supposed to be their healer. "Do something! She gave you Elvish medicine! Help her!" Gandalf rushed forward instead and felt her pulse, sighing when he felt it beating. "She's still alive but she has fainted from losing too much blood. I can stop the bleeding but the rest will have to wait until we are in a more protected area." Dwalin nods and picks her up lovingly, staring at the scar on her face. He would make sure to ask her about it later. Suddenly, the Company heard the horrible sound of Wargs howling. "Out of the frying pan" Thorin mutters, looking to Gandalf who answers with "And into the fire. Run. Run!"


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The Company began running down the hill with Dwalin carrying Kelly in his arms. They quickly came to a cliff and realized with horror that they were trapped. Gandalf looked around and quickly shouted "Up into the trees. All of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Bilbo had killed one of the wargs that had caught up with them but his sword was stuck in the animal's skull. Dwalin put Kelly over his shoulder and began climbing a tree then leaned her against the trunk. Thorin looked over from his tree, worried about both of his friends, then his eyes widened in shock as he saw the pale orc he had thought to dead. "Azog!" Azog then said something in Black Speech while stroking his metal claw over his wargs head. "It cannot be!" Thorin leaned away from the tree, as though a different angle would make the orc disappear. Azog orders something while pointing to Thorin and the wargs rush to the Company and begin jumping at the trees. The trees begin toppling into one another, causing the Dwarves and Bilbo to jump from tree to tree.

Once everyone is in the final tree, Gandalf grabs a pinecone and sets it on fire. He begins passing more of them down to members of the Company, who throw them at the Wargs; this causes the animals to run from the burning flames. As the Company begins cheering, their tree finally starts to give way, tilting slowly over the cliff. It stops when it becomes horizontal and all the Company are dangling, holding on for dear life. Thorin stands and runs to face Azog alone, much to everyone's dismay. Using his warg to his advantage, Azog quickly defeats Thorin and throws him aside where the Dwarf passes out. An orc dismounts his warg and walks to Thorin, preparing to behead the Dwarf king. Bilbo suddenly comes rushing in and quickly kills the orc, saving Thorin's life.

As Bilbo turns and faces Azog and his army, the rest of the Company rushes in and begins fighting. Dwalin looks back to make sure Kelly is still safely balanced on the tree where he put her. He then continues fighting, hacking at Wargs with his hammer. Bilbo, after killing a few more orcs, is suddenly face to face with Azog. As the pale orc goes to swing his mace, a ball of fire blindsides him and knocks him off his feet. Bilbo turns to see Kelly standing a few feet away, a flaming pinecone in her hand and a sinister smile on her lips. She winks at him quickly then turns, pulling out her blade and a dagger, while running straight into the fray. The orcs are taken aback by this beautiful woman who is slashing, stabbing, and killing mercilessly while fire surrounds her, lashing out at anything that gets too close to her. Seeing Dwalin facing two orcs at the same time and having a bit of trouble keeping up, Kelly took her dagger and launched it at one of the orcs with enough force to bury the dagger to the hilt.

Dwalin finished off the other orc then looked at his One, feeling a swell of pride as he saw the trail of death she left behind her. He pulled the dagger out of the orc she had killed, and then continued fighting. Just as things looked to be getting out of hand, the Eagles came and gave their assistance. Kelly, who was fighting an orc dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, laughed and rushed the orc; effectively pushing him off the cliff. Kelly took a running leap off the cliff and landed safely on the back of an Eagle. As the other members of the Company found themselves safe and on the back of giant eagles, Azog's cry of anger could be heard radiating from the cliff.

Finally feeling the effects of the fighting, Kelly lay down on the Eagle's back and tried to keep her eyes from closing. She felt a chill pass over her body and a sudden blackness that poked at her mind and begged her to close her eyes. "Everything will be fine if you close your eyes. Just do it, it'll be easy. No more pain, no more sorrow, no more worries." As much as she tried to fight it, the blackness was too strong and soon pulled her under. Dwalin, who had been watching her closely, noticed when her muscles went suddenly from tense to limp. At that moment he wasn't sure whether she was alive or dead.

They rode the Eagles for a long time, long enough that the sun had begun to rise. The Company was then deposited on top of a large rock face. As soon as he landed, Gandalf immediately rushed to Thorin's side. Whispering a few words that no one else was able to make out; the wizard waved his hand over Thorin's face. The Dwarf immediately opened his eyes and asked about Bilbo. "The Halfling?" "It's alright. Bilbo is here, he's quite safe." Gandalf assures him quickly. Thorin stands up then looks over at Bilbo, anger evident on his face. "You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild, and you had no place amongst us." The Dwarf then pulled Bilbo to him and embraced him, surprising everyone. "I have never been so wrong, in all my life." After a bit more conversation, Thorin noticed the Lonely Mountain off in the distance. "Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asks quietly while the other Dwarves stare in awe.

Gandalf steps forward slightly and answers, "Erebor! The Lonely Mountain. The last of the Great Dwarf Kingdoms of Middle-earth." After stating that it is their home, Thorin turns to thank Kelly for all her help. Noticing she is nowhere to be seen, Thorin looks for Dwalin and finds him cradling Kelly in his arms while muttering in Khazadul. Seeing her ashen face, closed eyes, and limp body, Thorin can only assume the worst and stares at the couple in horror. This draws the attention of the rest of the Company, who turn and look horrified to see their female companion. "Is there nothing you can do for her?! Will you try nothing?" Dwalin screams at Gandalf who huffs slightly before walking over. He mutters a few words and touches her face then looks at Dwalin. "Lay her on the ground, step away from her, and then light a match."

After doing as the wizard says, Dwalin searches his pack for matches. He pulls one out and strikes it on the rock beneath him. Nothing happens for a moment then suddenly, the flame flies to Kelly and hovers in the middle of her forehead. It then spreads quickly covering the woman's entire body, obstructing her from view. She is lifted from the ground for a moment and the Company watches in amazement as the fire begins seeping into her body, bringing back the color in her face. Kelly drops to the ground then immediately turns onto her hands and knees and begins coughing heavily. Dwalin runs to her and pulls her into his arms; she wraps her arms around him while still coughing. Pulling her back to look at him, he runs his hands over her face and through her hair gently. "You are never, ever allowed to do that to me again. Do you understand?" Kelly laughs and nods her head before putting both her hands to his face and staring him straight in the eyes. "I will never leave you again my love, I promise."

Dwalin nuzzled her cheek with his and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight and sighing softly. Kelly looked over Dwalin's shoulder to smile at Thorin. "Feeling alright Thorin? You look like you've had your pride crushed." She sent him a wink before looking at Bilbo. Kelly knew Thorin's character would never allow him to go without thanking someone who had saved his life, even if it was a Hobbit. Dwalin pulled her attention back to him by nipping softly on her ear and whispering "We're going to have a talk about your disappearance my dear. You have a lot of explaining to do."


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Blood, fire, pain, and screaming. That's all she knew, all she could feel. She looked to her left and watched as an arrow pierced through her love. Running to him, Kelly knelt in front of him and held his head in her lap as he lay dying. Battle raging around them, there seemed to be a bubble surrounding the two, keeping everyone else out. The bubble was broken by a figure running towards the woman. She looked up in time to watch the blade come swinging at her face.

"No!" Kelly screamed as she jerked upright from her dream. Immediately Dwalin's arms wrapped around her shoulders and he pulled her to his chest. "Shh don't worry. It was only a dream my love. You're fine and nothing can touch you when you're with me." Kelly had been having these dreams ever since they had escaped from Azog. On the nights she woke up screaming, Dwalin was right there to hold her and whisper words of comfort. Kelly inhaled his scent slowly and relaxed into his arms. "Did I wake anyone this time?" Dwalin looked around quickly and shook his head. The Company were mostly deep sleepers and those who weren't, quickly learned not to react when the woman yelled out in her sleep. Gloin had made the mistake of complaining about the noise when Kelly and Dwalin were in hearing distance. Kelly had covered her face in shame and walked away, she said she was going to scout the area, and Dwalin quickly confronted Gloin. If you looked close enough, there was still bruising around the Dwarf's jaw from Dwalin's punch.

She nodded and kissed Dwalin's cheek then cuddled up to him and closed her eyes. "I know the sun is almost up and we'll have to be leaving soon but will you just lay with me for a bit?" Dwalin was surprised; Kelly had been trying to avoid spending one on one time with him. He knew she was nervous about their talk so he took advantage of whatever time she would give him. They cuddled up next to each other, stuffed into his bedroll and shared each other's warmth. "Will you tell me what happened that night?" Dwalin asked, running his fingers through her hair. Kelly stiffened a bit then nodded and looked up at her love. "How much do you remember? Tell me then I'll clarify whatever you don't recall."

"I remember the party and drinking a lot. Then I left to go to your room to bid you goodnight; the next thing I remember is waking up on your floor. Everything was gone except for a sleeve that seemed to be ripped off one of your dresses." Kelly nodded then looked thoughtful, as if she was wondering how to phrase something. "Well, you came to my room with a cask of mead under your arm. I knew right then that I shouldn't allow you in my room but you told me you wanted to wish me a good night. I let you in the door and we talked for a few moments. You tried to kiss me and I wouldn't let you; you weren't even supposed to be in my bedchambers! I was mortified of what the other women would think so I commanded that you leave. You became very distraught, saying I no longer loved you and that you were going to find yourself another woman who appreciated you." She sighed and looked down, ashamed of herself. "I got offended and slapped you, you reacted and pushed me. I fell into the mirror, which shattered, and I cut my hands. Still angry with you, I threw shards of the mirror at you. Blinded by your rage and drunkenness, you grabbed a sharper piece and threw it at me." Kelly brought her hand up and touched her scar. "It cut my face and I tried to hide myself from you. That is when you grabbed my sleeve and pulled it from my dress; admittedly that stitching was poorly done. I hit you with something, a brush I think, and you finally passed out. I knew that you would never forgive yourself for what had happened. So I left. I couldn't bear to part with your gifts and the clothes that you had had made for me. I took everything I could fit in a bag, took my horse, and left that night." Kelly looked up at Dwalin, not knowing what to expect. She was surprised to see his face turning red and a wrathful, black look on his face.

Dwalin suddenly pushed her away from him before standing up and stomping away from her, kicking his pack harshly as he passed it. "Dwalin!" Kelly yelled, hurt radiating from her voice. Thorin jerked away and looked at the scene before him. Kelly, wrapped in Dwalin's bedroll with tears running down her face, had her hand stretched out after Dwalin who was currently walking away angrily without looking back. "What's happened Kelly?" The woman jumped at the sound of his voice then turned and stared. "I don't..I don't know Thorin. I told Dwalin what had happened that night, because he asked, and then he suddenly pushed me away and stomped off!" She then covered her face and burst into quiet sobs before tearing herself out of Dwalin's bedroll and returning to her own.

Dwalin returned a while later and began packing his things without ever looking at Kelly or acknowledging her presence. After standing next to him for a moment, Kelly simply nodded and walked away, picking up her own things and preparing to leave. Nobody in the Company spoke, too afraid to break the heavy silence. They all left as one, continuing on their journey while trying to outrun their enemies. Dwalin was at the front of the group and Kelly stayed at the back with Bilbo. "What did Dwalin do to you?" Bilbo wondered aloud, glaring at the Dwarf's back. "Nothing Bilbo, I told him how I got my scar. Now he is too disgusted to have a One who is ruined, who is no longer beautiful and without physical flaw. It is something I expected and I do not blame him. I wouldn't want me either."

Bilbo tried to protest but Kelly only held up her hand, a sign that the conversation was over. Thorin couldn't get Dwalin to do more than grunt angrily and glare. The other Dwarves could sense the tension and knew better than to try to engage Dwalin. Kelly, however, was more than happy to join in conversation though she listened more than she talked. Bilbo, as their official burglar, was sent up occasionally to check the progress of the Orc pack that was chasing them. Kelly decided to go with him at the next stop. When she told Thorin this, no one had any objections as she was just as quiet and stealthy as the Hobbit. They crawled up some tall rocks and peeked out over the landscape. The pack was less than a mile away but turned suddenly; following a false trail that Kelly had laid down. Catching sight of movement to the left, Kelly pointed at what looked like a small mountain that was moving. Bilbo felt all his breath leave him and Kelly tried not to scream as the "mountain" stood on its hind legs; revealing not a landmark, but an impossibly huge black bear. It let out a loud roar then turned its head in the direction of the Company, taking large breaths of air.

A.N. Sorry! I got a little stuck so it took me a few days to get rid of the block in my brain!


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Bilbo and Kelly come slipping and sliding down the rocks, trying to be as quiet as possible. When they met back up with the Company, they were immediately approached by Thorin. "How close is the pack?" Bilbo takes a deep breath and responds with "Too close, couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it." This continued on, Bilbo being interrupted by the Dwarves asking ridiculous questions about the pack. "Enough! Shut your mouths and listen!" Kelly yelled, interrupting whatever Thorin was going to say. They all looked at Bilbo who looked harried and on edge. "I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there!"

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf stepped closer to Bilbo. Looking up at the wizard, Bilbo looked slightly surprised. "Ye...Yes, but bigger. Much bigger." "You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked, sounding horrified. Remaining silent, Gandalf turned away to think. "I say we double back." Kelly looked at Bofur and shook her head. "We'll be run down by a pack of Orcs. Gandalf, what should we do?" They all looked toward the wizard. "There is a house, not far from here, where we might take refuge." Thorin stepped forward, needing to know everything of course. "Whose house? Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither. He will help us or he will kill us." Kelly laughed softly; she suddenly knew where they were going. "What choice do we have?" Thorin looked at the woman, curious as to why she thought this was funny. Suddenly, the beast could be heard roaring; sounding much closer than anyone liked. "None." Kelly grabbed Bilbo and pushed him ahead of her as she took off running. "Move Bilbo, don't slow down and don't look back." Waiting until the entire company had gone past her, Kelly took up the rear to make sure that none of the Dwarves fell behind. They ran out of the hills and into a small wooded area. Moving through the trees, the Company could hear the beast tearing through the brush behind them.

They break through the tree line and see a house in the distance, causing all the Dwarves to run faster. To Kelly's immense surprise, Bombur began outrunning all of them. "Into the house! Run!" As the dwarves and Bilbo all rush towards the house, Gandalf sees the creature coming through the woods after them, the dwarves try to open the door of the house, but it's locked. "Open the door!" Kelly screams, turning and looking at the giant bear running towards them. "Quickly!" In the moment, Thorin rushed ahead and managed to open the door. They all rush inside and just as they were about to close the door the creature lunged its head through it. The Dwarves pushed against the door, trying to get it closed but unable to, due to the strength of the beast on the other side. Suddenly, Kelly runs at the door and slams her entire body against it; this gives just enough leverage for the door to close.

"What is that?" Ori asked, turning to look at Gandalf. "That is our host." Kelly had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at the look of confusion on everyone's faces. "His name is Beorn; he's a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overly fond of dwarves." Gandalf gave Kelly a look that she didn't understand before he turned and looked around the house. The Dwarves made nervous chatter with each other about their host. Turning back around, Gandalf ran his eyes over the Company. "Now, get some sleep all of you. You'll be safe here tonight."

Kelly spent a while wandering around the house, exploring and admiring, before Gandalf pulled her outside to speak to her. They stood in the middle of a group of bee houses, surrounded by large bees. "Are all his animals bigger than normal?" The wizard smiled and nodded slowly, watching as Kelly didn't even flinch when a few bees landed on her head and shoulders. "Yes, they are allowed to grow as big as their bodies will allow them to compensate for Beorn's bear form. Now, I must talk to you about something rather important." Kelly stopped snuggling her cheek against one of the fluffy bees to look up at Gandalf. Though often cryptic, Gandalf never sounded worried like he did now. "He is not fond of Dwarves; in fact he almost hates them. I fear he will not allow us to stay here and he may even try to kill us. I am asking you to wait up for our host to come home in his human form. When he does, do your best to persuade him to let us stay; whatever is necessary. He has a soft spot for women and especially beautiful ones." Kelly looked down and blushed softly then put her hand to her chest where her necklace was. "Should I tug at his heart? Tell him of my troubles with my love? Do you think that would help?" Gandalf blinked quickly then laughed loudly, leaning onto his staff as support. "Oh my dear Kelly! You are a devilish young thing! I think that will work wonderfully." Kelly smiled and nodded before sitting down in the grass and letting more bees surround her. Gandalf proceeded to walk back to the house, still chuckling.

Later that night, after the sun had set, Bilbo walked outside to find Kelly. He was worried that something might happen to her or that she would do something ridiculous. Bilbo found her, and what he saw completely shocked him and stopped him immediately. Kelly was sprawled out in a field of flowers, completely surrounded by large bees; they were flying around her lazily and would occasionally stop and rub against the woman. "Kelly! Aren't you going to come inside?" She looked up at Bilbo and smiled, shaking her head slowly. "No I think I'll stay out here a bit! Go inside and go to sleep alright? Don't let Fili and Kili touch my things!" He nodded and walked back inside, pulling her bag next to his bedroll to keep it safe.

A few hours later, Kelly crept back inside and found almost everyone asleep. Dwalin was sitting by the fireplace, smoking his pipe and watching the fire burn. He looked up as she entered the room then turned away again without saying a word. "Dwalin? Will you not talk to me?" She reached forward and touched his arm. He jerked away from her touch and a small hiss came from his mouth. This reaction was enough for Kelly; she stood to her full height and walked away, sitting at the large dining table at the other end of the house. She hadn't been sitting there long when she heard the front door open. Turning to look, she found a man standing in the doorway. A very, very large man who was staring at her through his dark eyes. He had black hair and a black beard covered his face; this made him look quite intimidating but also a tad bit attractive.

Standing up and smiling, Kelly bowed quickly before saying "You must be Beorn. We have heard much about you and I must say, your bees are quite lovely."


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Beorn looked to his right to see the Company laid out and asleep. Then he turned back to the woman and looked her from head to toe. "Would you care to explain to me why there are Dwarves in my home?" Kelly's smile was almost blinding as she gestured for Beorn to sit down at the table. "I would love to, but you must be tired from your change; why don't you sit down?" The man nodded and sat down at the table, resting his arms on the wood. He stared at the woman in front of him, wondering what her story was. She was extremely beautiful, even with the scar on her face, but her posture and her eyes spoke of a deep pain. Kelly began telling the story of their adventure, making sure to explain her relationship with Dwalin, and she could tell that Beorn was interested. She told of the previous week and how they had been chased and harried. Then, looking over towards the Company and the now sleeping Dwalin, Kelly began to talk about how her love wouldn't even talk to her and had trouble looking at her. "I know that I am not beautiful and whole anymore and I understand his reasoning. I just wish that it wasn't happening, I just wish I had someone that still loved me like he did." Without her noticing, Kelly had started crying slowly; tears running down her cheek and falling to the table. Beorn reached over and wiped the tears from her face before running his thumb across her scar. "Any creature would be foolish and blind to not see the beauty you hold. Inside and out, you are something truly wondrous."

Smiling, Kelly put her hand on top of Beorn's; holding it to her face. "Thank you. That means much to me and I appreciate it. So back to the story, we were chased into your territory by the pack. We then encountered you in bear form so we ended up here; starving, tired, and terrified. Now I fear we must go through Mirkwood without proper rest or supplies. I do not believe that we will all make it out alive." Kelly looked at Beorn pleadingly, causing him to sigh and pull his hand away from her cheek. He rubbed his beard slowly while he sat lost in thought. "I will allow you and your friends to stay for as long as you need. I only request that they work while they are here. The honey needs harvesting, the weeds need to be removed from the garden, and my ponies need a good brushing." Kelly smiled and practically jumped over the table to hug Beorn who looked immensely surprised. "Oh thank you so much Beorn! We will be happy to help you in any and every way we can!" The woman then moved from the table and laid down on her bedroll next to Bilbo, falling to sleep not long after.

The next morning, the Company awoke to find Kelly already awake and helping Beorn to make breakfast. The two were bantering back and forth playfully while setting things on the table. Kelly, seeing the Dwarves standing there with their mouths watering, smiled and nudged Beorn with her elbow. "Looks like they've finally smelled the food and come begging. Do you think we should feed them first then talk about our agreement or make them wait a bit longer to eat?" He smiled and shook his head before turning back towards the large stove, waving his hand dismissively at the Dwarves. "I'll leave that decision up to you. Being the sweet devil that you are, I'm sure you'll do what is best."

Kelly laughed then motioned for the Dwarves to sit. "All right, may as well let them eat. Besides, I'm sure our Hobbit is still asleep and I don't want him missing anything." The hungry Dwarves practically ran to the table then began piling food on their plates. Kelly filled a plate and handed it to Beorn then began making her own. Grabbing for a biscuit, Kelly accidently grabbed the same one that Dwalin had wanted. "That one would be mine, lass." Dwalin said without looking at her. He jerked in surprise when he felt a painful flash of heat on his fingers. Looking up at Kelly with shock, he was surprised to see a cold look on her face before she snatched up the biscuit. "Actually, that one would be mine along with any other food I happen to touch first." She turned away and stood next to Beorn who was smirking slightly at the woman before he continued to eat.

Bilbo finally woke up and came to the table, sitting down while smiling at Kelly. Beorn was walking around the table, refilling drinks before he turned to Thorin. "So you are the one they call Oakenshield. Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?" Though he knew the story from Kelly, Beorn wanted to form his own opinion of the King Under the Mountain. "You know of Azog? How?" Thorin asked, looking shocked. Beorn stopped filling drinks then turned to face to stove, setting down the milk jug. "My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." Kelly frowned and noticed the shackle still on Beorn's wrist. She made a mental note to ask him if he wanted her to remove it. Bilbo looked up from his food and asked "There are others like you?" Beorn looked at Kelly then at the Hobbit. "Once there were many." Bilbo couldn't help his curiosity so he asked "And now?" To everyone's surprise, Kelly was the one who answered. "Now there is only one."

After eating for a bit more and Gandalf talking to Beorn about going through Mirkwood, Dwalin seemed to be getting more and more agitated. Kelly was constantly at Beorn's side and the large man didn't seem to mind a bit. Gandalf had just mentioned that the Elven road through Mirkwood was still safe when Beorn scoffed slightly. "Safe? The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not." Kelly looked sharply up at Beorn's face and Thorin asked "What do you mean?" Beorn looked down at the woman next to him and smiled before answering Thorin. "These lands are crawling with Orcs, their numbers are growing and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive. I don't like Dwarves; they're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem less than their own." As he said this, he reached down and picked up a mouse that Dwalin had just pushed off his arm. Beorn gave Dwalin a harsh look before handing the mouse to Kelly and stepping toward Thorin. "But Orcs I hate more. I will allow you to stay and regain your strength. I will also give you supplies when you are ready to leave. What do you need?"

After their conversation, the Dwarves went outside to begin harvesting the honey from the bees. Kelly stayed inside to clean up from breakfast and insisted that Beorn let her do it. So the shape changer that so many found terrifying was sitting at his own table watching a woman clean his kitchen for him. He watched as she would stretch to reach some of the higher shelves, she even climbed on the counter once, and he kept up a stream of conversation. "So the wizard mentioned that one among you has a gift, do you know who it is?" Kelly stopped what she was doing to look at Beorn curiously. "Well yes, but why would that interest you?" He chuckled and shook his head at the woman. "I like to meet others who have been gifted. Such things are not as common as they once were." The woman's face lit up slightly as she set down the dish cloth she had been using. She turned to Beorn and held out her hand, drawing a rope of fire from a nearby torch and allowing it to wrap around her arm. "I am the one with the gift. Some call it a gift of fire; I like to think of it as the gift of a friend that will never leave. I appreciate the beauty and danger of my gift. The fire will never burn me, not even if asked, simply because it loves the fact that I can speak to it and it can speak to me. We appreciate each other's existence." Beorn watched the fire dance around the woman's arm; it spun and twisted before traveling farther up her arm to her shoulder. From there it swirled into her hair, pulling softly at strands, and then squirmed its way down her torso before leaving her and going back to the torch. This beautiful woman in front of him continued to amaze and astound him. "A beautiful gift for a beautiful woman. How fitting." Kelly laughed and rolled her eyes before heading towards the front door. "I am going to go help with the bees since I'm done with the kitchen. Call us if you need any help." Before she could even open the door however, Beorn had placed his hand on it to stop her. Kelly turned to look at him, only to find his face inches from her own. His breath smelled like honey and cream which caused Kelly to take a deep breath of the wonderful scent. She stared at him, wondering what he was going to stay. Before she could even open her mouth however, his lips touched hers softly then one of his hands was holding the back of her head. She tasted honey on her tongue and her mind became clouded and fuzzy until Beorn pulled away.

"I would not expect it, or even ask it of you, but know that you could stay here if you wished." Kelly gasped softly, confused for a moment. "Stay here?" "Yes. You could stay here with me, with the ponies and the bees. I would be glad for your friendship and, if you allowed it, your love as well." Knowing she was blushing a very unflattering shade of red, Kelly took a step back and turned her back to Beorn. "I do not know if I could abandon my friends so quickly. I will need some time to think on such a generous offer." He nodded and took his hand off the door, kissing her head softly, then turned and walked farther into his home.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Kelly took a few moments to compose herself before walking outside to help the others. She spotted the Dwarves all sitting around the bee homes, talking to each other. "Need any help lads or do you have it all taken care of?" They looked over to see the woman walking towards them, her cheeks flushed from what they expected was cleaning the kitchen. "No we just finished putting the honey where Beorn told us to. We were just relaxing for a bit. Care to join us?" Kili said as he patted the spot next to him. Kelly sat next to him, poking Fili in the arm as a silent greeting. Thorin looked over at Kelly and caught her eye, which made her smile brightly before she continued roaming her eyes over the group. He looked over at Dwalin, who had been in a mood since breakfast, and noticed that he was staring intently at Kelly though she wouldn't even glance his way. "You know Thorin; I think you are quite neglecting your men." Kelly joked, smiling as Thorin looked her way. "Oh is that so? Why do you make such accusations?"

She laughed and pushed Kili slightly, wrinkling her nose as she did so. "Well they all smell worse than an animal's rear end! Beorn has a lovely stream on the northern side of his property and I'll bet you haven't even told them about it! All you have to do is walk around the house, walk north about 2 minutes, and it's right there!" She hadn't even finished speaking before most of the Dwarves jumped up and ran in that direction. "Stop!" Thorin commanded in a harsh tone, causing everyone to stop and turn. "Don't forget to wash your clothes. Kelly was being polite when she said you smell. Also, aren't you going to thank her?" Looking sheepish, there were many mumbled expressions of thanks and scuffling of feet. Once she laughed and waved them away, the group then turned and practically sprinted into the house. They came running out a moment later with extra clothes and different types of soaps.

As Thorin stood up, Kelly joined him in walking to the house. "Thorin don't go to the stream when you've collected your things. I've got somewhere special to show you." He nodded and sighed a bit, he was really looking forward to cleaning his body and wounds. When he had gathered his things, he followed Kelly past the bees and the garden; they continued walking for another 5 minutes before she pulled back a few branches and revealed a small, much more private pool. That wasn't what made Thorin almost moan in joy; it was the sight of the steam that was rising from the pool. Kelly had shown him to a hot spring which would be much better than the stream. "I thought you'd like this, being King and whatnot. The water in the stream comes from mountains and is extremely cold. This will be better for your wounds too." Thorin almost hugged her before she stopped him. "You can hug me after you've washed. There's another pool off to the left a ways, I'm going to bathe there. Once you're done or if you need help, come find me."

Kelly walked off the other pool that Beorn had told her about when she was cleaning. Once there, she removed her clothes and sank slowly into the water. It was on the edge of being too hot for a normal person but it felt perfect to her. She pulled her soap from where she had stowed it in her pocket then began scrubbing her body and hair. The dirt slowly came off her skin, leaving it bright and as porcelain as it was before this quest. She heard some twigs snap, indicating someone was headed her way. Sinking down until only her head was above water, Kelly waited to see who it was. To her immense surprise Dwalin, Ori, Fili, and Kili came through the brush; they stopped short when they saw her, looking from the water to the pile of clothes by the edge.

Extremely thankful that the water wasn't crystal clear, Kelly lowered herself a bit more. "How can I help you gentlemen? If you're looking for another hot spring, Thorin is using the other one to the right." Kili, unable to stop himself, stepped forward and asked "Is sharing with you out of the question?" This earned him a nice right hook from Dwalin while Ori turned bright red from embarrassment and Fili simply laughed. Once Kili had gained his footing again and taken a stance to fend off more attacks from Dwalin, Kelly laughed scornfully. "Apparently it is Kili. Dwalin here would hate for you to dirty yourself by sharing a bath with an invalid like me. You had best go share with your uncle. He's not likely to ruin you for your future wife. He isn't covered in scars." Turning away, Kelly let her head sink under water and continued scrubbing at her hair.

When she came back up for air, everyone except Ori was gone. Smiling at the youngest member, Kelly asked him what he needed. "Well, we went to the other pool and there isn't any more room. Do you mind sharing? I wouldn't try anything I swear!" She laughed at how terrified he sounded before shaking her head. "No, Ori I don't mind at all. Did you bring any soap?" He shook his head no then caught the bar she tossed to him. "Use mine, I'm finished but I plan on lying here and soaking for a bit." Noticing he was a bit hesitant of getting undressed in front of a woman, she covered her eyes with her hands and turned her back to Ori. When she heard him slide into the water, she turned and noticed the look of satisfaction on his face. "Nice aren't they? Beorn has so many simple comforts here, it's quite amazing." Ori sighed and nodded, a smile on his face. He then began scrubbing himself with her soap, talking to Kelly about collecting the honey.

After he was done, they both just lay soaking, enjoying the sunlight and the heated water. "This place is so peaceful; it'd be nice to be able to stay here." Ori said with his head tilted back against a rock and his eyes closed. "I understand exactly what you mean Ori. In fact, I might actually stay here." She heard a splash followed by some coughing. She looked over to see him staring at her in disbelief. "Beorn would never allow that! He hates Dwarves! Besides, what about Dwalin? I know you two are having a hard time right now but you can't just leave him!" Kelly scoffed and tilted her head back, closing her eyes. "You forget Ori, I am not a Dwarf. Beorn actually asked me this morning if I would stay here with him. I told him that I had to think about it. We have another few days here and I plan on making my decision somewhere within that time. Besides, Dwalin doesn't want me anymore. I think he has made that very obvious." Ori shook his head but he knew she was right. She wasn't a Dwarf. Erebor wasn't her home so therefore she had no obligation to save it. The contract didn't say she had to make the entire journey and she had been extremely helpful thus far. Dwalin had suddenly withdrawn from her, even going to far as to call her a wench just the other night. No one knew what had happened between them but it had been obvious that the distance was of Dwalin's choosing.

"Well I respect your decision either way Kelly. You saved my life multiple times and therefore you have my respect. Are you going to tell Thorin?" Kelly nodded, looking thoughtful. "I am sure he already suspects something. The day we decide to leave, I will tell everyone at once. I'm sure that it will cause an uproar and some of the Company will hate me. However, I can't really find it in myself to care."


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The days had gone by sluggishly, with the Dwarves spending their mornings doing work for Beorn and the rest of their time lounging around. Kelly had done the housekeeping quite thoroughly, leaving Beorn with almost nothing to do. He kept stealing Kelly away to show her books, paintings, and the beauties that graced his lands. Kelly was surprised at the hostility that she felt from Dwalin. Though she had become used to his distain, this was something more. One day, he had even thrown something in a fit of rage while they were having an argument. Kelly avoided him after that.

Today though, Kelly wasn't thinking about that. She was too excited by Beorn's promise to show her the waterfall at the edge of his land. They were walking there together, her hand in his, and were talking about trivial things. Beorn hadn't kissed her since that first day though he did shower her with hugs and often asked if he could hold her hand. She enjoyed these small shows of affection and she appreciated that they were only given when it was just to two of them. Beorn held a branch out of the way for her and, after thanking him, she stepped into a small meadow. Trees surrounded it on three sides and directly in front of her was a large and extremely beautiful waterfall. She smiled and put her hands on her cheeks, gazing in wonder at the glory in front of her.

"Beorn this is beautiful! Can you imagine how long it must have taken for the water to wear the rocks just right to make this?" She leaned into his side and put her head on his chest, enjoying the contact as much as the waterfall. "This waterfall was not as miraculous when I first came here though I have had the pleasure of watching it change as the years have passed." He then turned the woman to face him and held her face in both of his large hands. "Though nothing is as miraculous as you. Nothing I own here can compare to your beauty, your wit, and your kindness." Kelly blushed and looked down, embarrassed once again by the beauty of his words. Beorn leaned forward and captured her lips with his, kissing her slowly and softly. He pulled her body against his as he ran his fingers through her hair, smiling when he felt her start kissing him as well. She put her hands on his chest and leaned into the kiss, allowing herself to enjoy it. She tasted honey again but her mind wasn't fuzzy this time. Kelly knew exactly what she was doing and who she was kissing.

It was in the moment that Kelly knew, if Beorn asked her to stay again that she would say yes without a moment's hesitation. This man who loved her despite her flaws, who embraced her with open arms and accepted that she once loved another man. Kelly sighed softly as Beorn pulled away from her, laying his forehead against hers. They both kept their eyes closed and just enjoyed each other's presence. "Do you love me as I love you?" Beorn broke the silence with this whispered question. He looked at her as her eyes opened, staring into the deep blue orbs. The conflict raging in her eyes, Beorn knew why she was hesitating. She needed to know for sure that the Dwarf had stopped loving her. Kelly would never hurt someone intentionally; she wouldn't break his heart just for someone else's happiness.

Beorn kissed her again then took her hand and began leading her back to the house. "Confront him tonight. Tell him how I feel about you and that I wish for you to stay. Make him give you a direct answer and tie him to a chair if that is what it takes." Kelly laughed softly and pushed Beorn's arm. "I don't want to hurt anyone, especially not you." Beorn shook his head and gently squeezed her hand. "You would only hurt me if you stayed here when you would rather be with him. You will always be my dearest friend first and foremost. If you still love him and he still loves you, I would rather you be with the man that was made for you. I will always love you, but I will always put your happiness first." Kelly sighed and looked as though a giant weight had just been lifted off her shoulders.

They had just reached the house when they saw Dwalin and Thorin leaning against a tree laughing with each other. Looking up, Thorin raised his arm in greeting then yelled "Kelly! We leave tomorrow morning so be sure to get lots of rest tonight yeah?" She nodded then looked up at Beorn worriedly, which caused Dwalin to growl something in Khazadul under his breath. After the pair had walked inside, Thorin turned to Dwalin angrily. "What in Durin's name are you doing to that poor girl?" Looking slightly shocked, Dwalin asked what he meant. "She looks like she's dying! She hasn't eaten since we got here! I can see her withering away and when your name is mentioned, she gets this hollow look in her eyes. Watch her during evening meal tonight. See how she pushes her food around, how she makes jokes to get the attention away from her, how she clings to Beorn like he's the only thing keeping her alive. She needs you but she won't admit it. Without you, she'll die and you know it!" Dwalin shook his head and walked away without a word.

That night at dinner though, Dwalin sat directly across the table from Kelly. He wanted to be able to watch her without being too obvious about it. She sat down and put a small amount of food on her plate though she didn't look happy about it. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair wasn't as shiny as usual, her eyes seemed dull and clouded over, and there was a very noticeable loss of weight. Her clothes, which used to hug her curves deliciously, now hung loose on her body and her shoulder blades jutted out obviously. Dwalin watched as she joked and laughed with the Company though it was obvious to him that they were forced. Nobody seemed to notice that she almost dead on her feet, that she was purposely putting their attention elsewhere, that she was fooling everyone into letting her die.

When everyone had finished eating, Kelly shooed them away and began cleaning up the plates. Dwalin filled his cup to the brim with water then grabbed Kelly's plate which was still completely untouched. He cornered her in the kitchen and set the plate in front of her. "Eat." That was the only thing he said to her. She flinched when she heard his voice then looked at him. "What do you mean? I ate at dinner." Dwalin shook his head and pushed a utensil into her hand. "Don't bother lying to me, I watched as you sat there without touching your food. Now eat your food or I will force you to." Kelly raised her chin in a show of defiance then pulled a small flame to her hand. She gasped loudly as she found herself suddenly doused with water. Looking to Dwalin she saw him holding a now empty cup and staring at her intently. She huffed loudly but began eating the food on her plate.

Beorn walked into the kitchen to see Kelly eating and Dwalin standing in front of her, arms crossed over his chest. "What is happening here? Has he hurt you again?" Kelly scoffed then shook her head and took another bite of food. "No, I am simply making sure that MY One eats a proper meal for the first time in weeks." Dwalin puffed his chest out as he faced Beorn. The man had been spending much more time with Kelly than Dwalin liked. Kelly wasn't a Dwarf; she didn't necessarily need to be with Dwalin. If she decided to love another man, she would get better and be able to survive with that person. Beorn might have persuaded her to love him instead of Dwalin. Dwalin wouldn't know until she officially announced it.

Beorn laughed at the Dwarf's obvious challenge before walking past him. He leaned down and kissed Kelly's head, praising her for eating so much, then walked through the door on the other side of the room. Kelly blushed and smiled after Beorn until she remembered just who had witnessed that display. Dwalin's face was bright red and his breathing was quickly becoming erratic. Kelly went to him out of instinct and put her hands on his cheeks. This was the man who had loved her for so long; she knew how to deal with his jealousy. "Dwalin don't even think on it. He loves me, yes. He has asked me to stay with him, yes. I have not given him an answer." Kelly pulled her necklace out from her shirt, holding it into the light. Dwalin's eyes automatically went down to the necklace and his face looked almost horrified. "You've still worn this? After all this time? After all the things I have said to you? Why?" Shaking her head, Kelly stepped away from him and turned away. "There was a small part of me that hoped that you would still love me. Scar or not, I thought that I was your One and that we could go through anything together. I suppose I had forgotten how much Dwarves wanted their treasures to be beautiful and whole." Sobs racked her small body; one part of her was glad she had finally said it but the other was weeping for her lost love.

She jumped slightly when arms wrapped around her from behind, holding her against a strong chest as a head was laid on her shoulder. Dwalin was holding her for the first time since she had told him about the accident. "Oh my beautiful, wonderful Azyungal. You think I have kept away from you because you have a scar? You are so incredibly wrong. I have kept away because I am the reason you have the scar. You are beautiful no matter how many scars you have and I will always love you. I laid my hand on you and it marked you permanently; this is something I could not deal with. I feel so guilty and I am frightened that I will do something to hurt you again." Kelly turned around and stepped away from Dwalin, looking at him skeptically. "Are you telling me that you still love me? That the only reason you did this is because you were afraid you might hurt me again?" Dwalin nodded and a shameful look passed over his face. Kelly quickly pulled her shirt over her head, leaving her in just the covering on her breasts. His eyes roamed over her torso, seeing small scars and bruises. What stood out the most however, were her ribs and collarbones. She had lost too much weight for it to be healthy; she almost looked like a skeleton with skin. "Dwalin you have hurt me again! You made me think that I wasn't beautiful enough for you anymore and that you didn't love me because of some stupid scar!" Pulling her shirt back on, Kelly stepped toward her love looking him up and down. Before he even had a chance to say anything, her arm came flying toward him and her fist met his cheek. He stumbled back a few steps then looked at her, shocked. She was breathing heavily, staring at him with more anger in her face than he had ever seen. They stood there staring at each other for a few moments, their eyes never leaving each other, until Kelly's breathing slowed down. Standing there for another moment, the stillness was broken by Kelly throwing herself at Dwalin; she kissed him hard on his mouth while pouring all of her love into that one kiss. His arms wrapped around her and hers entwined themselves around his shoulders. Their love was whole once again.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Dwalin looked down at his love who laid her head against his chest as they stood in the kitchen together. He realized that his happiness was greater than his fear of hurting her. He was not going to leave her side at any time in the near future. Suddenly, a horrible thought crossed his mind; he still loved her with every fiber of his being but what if she had somehow fallen for the skin changer? Dwalin kissed Kelly's head softly, causing her to look up and notice the worried look on his face. "Dwalin what's the matter?" He sighed, shaking his head slowly, then picked Kelly up and set her on the counter. Now able to look directly into her eyes, Dwalin held her hands in his. "I love you more than all the gold and jewels in the entire world. I do not wish to be parted from you from this day forth. I wish to continue courting you as I once did. I want you to love me wholly but I must know. In the time we have spent here, have you fallen in love with our host?" Kelly looked down at their intertwined hands before pulling Dwalin's hands up and kissing them. "Yes. I love him but only as a sincere friend and companion. He offered me a place in his home should I choose it. I cannot stay here though. Not now, knowing that you still love me as you once did. I could not abandon Bilbo to the tortures of being alone and without me."

Dwalin nodded his head in understanding before touching his forehead to hers. "I appreciate your honesty and words cannot express how happy I am to know that you will stay with me." Kelly chuckled softly then kissed Dwalin before laying her head on his shoulder. "I will stay with you until I take my last breath. I promise you that, my love. I always have been and always will be yours." Straightening up suddenly, Kelly looked to the doorway where Beorn was now standing. Dwalin turned to face him then asked if there was more work to be done. Shaking his head, Beorn smiled and said "No, there is no more work but I have asked Thorin to delay your journey for another few days and he has agreed. I will not allow any of my friends to leave my home in worse shape than when they arrived. She needs to get more food into her body before she will be fit to travel."

After staying for a few more days, eating more food than a starving animal, Kelly was ready to travel. She had gone to Beorn and spoken to him about their relationship. Beorn simply hugged her and told her that he wished for her safety then asked if she would visit him again someday. "Of course! I would like nothing better than to be able to return!" They hugged again then Kelly left to begin packing her belongings. Beorn had graciously allowed them to use his ponies to get to the forest's edge. As they were leaving, Kelly walked to Beorn before holding something out to him. "I made something for you. It's not much but I hope it will help you will remember me." He looked down and saw that she was holding a necklace out to him. It was made of crystal with a flame on the inside. The flame was dancing and constantly moving. "The flame inside will never die, even if the crystal is broken. It will turn a green color if I am ever in danger. Smash the crystal and the flame will lead you to me."

Mounting her horse, Kelly waved at Beorn before turning and spurring her pony on to catch up with the others. Dwalin pulled his pony next to hers and put his hand on hers. "That was a wonderful gift my love. How did you accomplish such a thing?" Kelly smiled and brought Dwalin's hand to her lips, kissing each of his knuckles slowly. "Well, no fire likes to be put out and can survive on its own if given the proper encouragement. All I did was tell it that it could draw energy from Beorn and the surrounding land. I know he worries about my wellbeing so I thought this would be the best way to calm him. Can't have him fall prey to Orcs simply because he isn't paying proper attention. I know that I made that small flame exceedingly happy as well, it will grow close to Beorn and protect him when possible." Dwalin nodded and enjoyed the feeling of her lips on his hand. He realized that his love was a caring person but this just proved it even more.

A.N. Sorry this took so long! I know it's really short and I'm sorry for that but I'm a bit stuck! Please forgive me :) As soon as I get more time, I'll continue writing. I should have a new chapter out before the week is out! Thanks everyone for being so patient!


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

They rode the ponies closer and closer to the large expanse of trees that was once called Greenwood. Now, the locals knew it as Mirkwood and it was avoided at all costs. Once they reached the edge, everyone began pulling their packs off the ponies. "We will let them return to their master. They know the way and they won't be attacked." Kelly said as she stroked her pony's nose. She knew Beorn had followed them in his bear form because the fire around his neck was still calling out to her; thanking her over and over for its freedom. Feeling a prickling on her neck, Kelly turned and stared hard into the forest. Something was wrong here, the forest felt wrong. "This forest feels sick, as if a disease lies upon it. Is there no way around?" Bilbo asked, looking worriedly at the trees. Gandalf turned towards the forest before answering. "Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south." Kelly turned away to help everyone else with their packs, no longer watching the pair. She had turned to talk to Ori when Gandalf came out of the trees, taking long strides. "Not my horse, I need it!" Gandalf yelled. The company turned and looked at Gandalf with confusion, and Bilbo asked "You're not leaving us?" Kelly stepped forward and placed her hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "I would not do this unless I had to." Huffing slightly, Kelly turned and walked away from Gandalf and closer to the forest. She touched one of the outer trees and frowned as she felt the sickness inside it.

Once Gandalf had left, warning them not to stray from the path and not to enter to mountain without him, the Company plunged into the darkness of Mirkwood forest. After she had walked for a few moments, Kelly suddenly pulled a wrap from her bag and covered her head with it. Only her eyes were able to be seen, shining bright though there was hardly any light filtering through the trees. Dwalin didn't question this and so the other Dwarves didn't either. Kelly knew these Elves, the prince in particular. Though unsure of how her presence would be received, Kelly didn't want to tell Dwalin and have him worry.

The company kept walking, sticking to the path as best as they could. "I'm going to scout ahead, follow the path and I'll find you!" Kelly shouted before she loped off into the brush. The Dwarves murmured with unease before a quick word from Thorin quieted them down. "I know she has spent years in this forest, I doubt she will get lost." They kept walking, Dwalin tapping on the stones with his axe to keep them going the right direction. In the meantime, Kelly was sitting in the middle of the path a few miles away. She had her eyes closed, her legs folded under her, and her ears perked for any unfriendly noises.

She had a matchbox lying next to her and a small flame in her hand. There were rumors that giant spiders had taken residence in the forest and Kelly didn't want the Dwarves to be taken unawares. Mirkwood was notorious for leading travelers astray with its toxic air and the Dwarves were no exception. Kelly, due to her gift from the Elves, was completely unaffected by the air and this gave her the ability to use her gift without possibly injuring anyone. Her attention was drawn to somewhere behind her right shoulder where a small vibrating sound was coming from. Snapping her eyes open, Kelly turned to see a large web shivering.

"Oh please tell me that one of those fools hasn't touched a web! Didn't anyone ever teach them that touching a web is the quickest way to bring the spiders round?!" Jumping to her feet, Kelly took to the trees and began running with a grace and skill similar to that of a woodland Elf. Sounds of screams and fighting met her ears, causing her to fun faster only to come skidding to a halt when she heard a male's soft voice. "Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf. It would be my pleasure."

Kelly knew immediately that it was Legolas and she stood as still as possible. She hadn't planned on running into the Elves this soon and she didn't want to risk showing herself, lest she get the Dwarves killed. Backing up slowly, she slowly repositioned herself higher into the trees where she could watch without being seen. She did her best to keep quiet but a small growl escaped when an Elf got too rough with Dwalin. Kelly watches as a beautiful female Elf comes and begins speaking with Legolas in Elvish before he orders the Dwarves to be taken away.

Following the Elves from a distance, Kelly snarls softly as she watches the main gate close; leaving her outside with only a few ways in. She crept along the tree line until she found the wall she was looking for. There, hidden behind an elder bush and an oak tree, was a small door that can only be opened from the inside. That is, of course, unless you just happen to have control of fire that can slip through any crack. Lighting a match, Kelly asked the fire to slip through the door and push against the lever on the inside. Only too happy to help, the fire made quick work of the lever which burned it slightly but no one would notice. "This door is only used in case someone tries to assassinate the King and he has no choice but to leave." Kelly reassures the fire as it begins acting guilty. Keeping the fire wrapped around her wrist like a moving bracelet, Kelly worked her way through the passage and comes to a fork in the path. She knew that one lead to the King's bed chamber and the other would get her to the dungeon.

Cursing softly in Khuzdul, Kelly peeked around to make sure the King wasn't in his chamber. Kelly snickered softly as the fire whispered that she should have taken the right tunnel, as it had suggested. "Yes, that would have taken us to the dungeon but I suppose we should go see the King. We have just broken into his kingdom after all and it's only polite we say hello."


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Kelly managed to sneak past every guard and into the throne room. She may have used the branches on the ceiling to her advantage but that makes no difference. Seeing only Thorin and Thranduil in the throne room with a couple guards at the bottom of the stairs, she decided that she wanted to hear this argument. Letting go of the vines she was holding, Kelly dropped the few stories to the floor; asking the fire to catch her. She landed in the throne unnoticed by everyone, then proceeded to make herself comfortable.

"I would not trust Thranduil, the great King, to only his word. Till the end of all days be upon us!" Thorin yelled suddenly, shocking Thranduil. "You lack all honor! I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once, starving, homeless; seeking your help. But you turned your back! You turned away from the suffering of my people and the inferno that destroyed us!" Thorin then continued by shouting in his own language for Thranduil to die in dragon fire. "Do not talk to me of dragon fire! I know its wrath and ruin. I have faced the great serpents of the North." Thranduil spoke as he rushed at Thorin, letting the magic disappear from his face to show the horrid scar left from a dragon. Both men turned and stared as the woman made her presence known by snorting in a very unladylike fashion.

"Oh good gods, you are both such typical Kings. Please do stop with the arguing as it will gain nothing." Kelly stood up and bowed mockingly before letting her fire go from her hand to stop the guards from running up the stairs at her. Stepping closer to the pair of Kings, Kelly took in Thorin's appearance. He was covered in dirt and spider webs but looked to be uninjured. Her approach was stopped by the tip of Thranduil's sword on her neck. "You dare to enter my kingdom again, witch? After all the destruction you caused and the betrayal you dealt out?" The woman simply laughed and stepped farther into the sword, causing it to pierce her skin. Blood began flowing down her pale neck and she looked Thranduil in his eyes. "Yes, that was many years ago and you never let me explain. Now, kill me if you will but remember what will happen should I die by force." Thranduil sighed and lowered his sword before turning back to Thorin, ignoring Kelly entirely.

"I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon, but he would not listen. You are just like him." Thranduil turned and walked back to his throne, gesturing with a flick of his wrist. Kelly let her fire come back to her and the guards grabbed Thorin, not daring to touch the woman. "Stay here if you will, and rot. A hundred years is a mere blink in a life of an Elf. I'm patient. I can wait." The guards led Thorin back to the dungeon with Kelly following them closely. The guards, who remained to watch the door to the throne room, could hear objects being thrown about and their King cursing loudly. It was no surprise that the woman was the cause of this destruction.

There was a general noise from the Dwarves as Thorin was returned which got louder as the company saw Kelly following behind. Thorin was returned to his cell but Kelly was put in a different cell entirely. The Dwarves could all see her if they strained their heads against the cell doors. She was completely alone and she had an almost horrified look on her face. "No! Please don't do this! I promise you that it isn't worth it!" She began throwing herself against the bars in a desperate attempt to escape but they'd taken her matches and there was no fire lit in the entire kingdom. "Kelly! What is wrong? You're only in a cell by yourself, just like the rest of us." Kili wondered aloud, watching as the woman kept throwing herself against the bars.

Kelly suddenly stood still and took deep, slow breaths as she rested her forehead against the bars of the cell. The other Dwarves slowly began conversations again, discussing the deal and any possibility of escape. Hours later, a meal was delivered to them and the Dwarves were outraged as they saw that Kelly had received nothing. "Just eat boys; I only hope your stomachs will be strong enough when you see what's going to happen next." They were all confused and were asking her to explain when the door suddenly opened and 6 guards came into the dungeon. The Elves walked to Kelly's cell then began shouting at the Dwarves, telling them to watch what happened to those who betray the King.

Kelly stood in the middle of the cell in a fighting stance, her eyes wide and alert, her body tense, and her breathing slow. The guards all entered, locking the door behind them and Dwalin suddenly realized what was going to happen. He began throwing himself against his cell door and screaming wordlessly. "Dwalin! Control yourself and tell us what is wrong!" Thorin ordered, worried his friend may hurt himself. "They're going to kill her you idiots!" Dwalin screamed the same time a guard punched Kelly right on her left jaw. All the Elves suddenly jumped in, punching, kicking, and scratching the woman who quickly fell under the onslaught. The Dwarves could only scream and watch in horror as their companion was being beaten to death.

"Legolas!" was the only word that Kelly could get to come to her mouth. Immediately after, a boot was smashed into her face which silenced her. Kelly could feel every kick, hit and scrape she was receiving. She was begging the gods to let her fall unconscious soon; she didn't want to feel this pain anymore. The door to the cell was thrown open and another Elf joined the fighting. However, Kelly soon felt the beating stop and the sound of multiple feet running. She kept her eyes closed as she didn't want to see the blow that would kill her. "Oh Kelly, what have they done to you?" Kelly looked up to see Legolas kneeling in front of her, a worried look on his face which barely concealed the anger underneath. "Well, I do believe there was some hitting involved. You know how your guards like to treat their traitorous prisoners, especially the kind that set the kingdom on fire." The woman chuckled at her own joke before her head dropped and she slipped into unconsciousness.

The Dwarves watched as, only moments after her shout, Legolas had entered the dungeon and witnessed what was happening. The princeling had practically flown down the stairs and gone to rescue the woman. He opened the door to the cell and began fighting his own men who, upon seeing who it was, scattered to the winds faster than anyone thought possible. They heard conversation then let out exclamations of horror as she lost consciousness. Legolas picked her up then took her out of the dungeon, hopefully to a healer.

The company was left staring at the sight of a pool of Kelly's blood in the cell and a distraught Dwalin, who was sobbing softly into the thin mattress that had been provided him.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Pain, darkness, and voices that were too loud. Those were the first things that Kelly noticed when she finally woke up. Then her other senses came to her and she realized she was on a very soft bed, surrounded by the smell of pine needles and flowers. "Kelly? Can you hear me? Please open your eyes." Obeying the command, Kelly opened her eyes slowly. The room was very dim and looking over, she saw Legolas sitting next to her on the bed with a soft smile on his face. "Where am I, Legolas? How long have I been unconscious? What about the Dwarves?"

She sat up in the bed, only to groan at the aches and pains running through her body. The Elf simply laughed before shaking his head and handing the woman a cup filled with liquid. "Drink this; it will help with the pain. You've been unconscious for a few hours and the Dwarves are still in their cells. You are currently in my chambers." Kelly couldn't help but notice the way Legolas sneered when he mentioned the Dwarves. Sipping at the drink, Kelly looked around the room before noticing a fire burning in a hearth at the end of the room. "Tell me of my injuries please." She requested as she continued staring at the fire.

"You have 4 broken ribs, both your cheekbones, a wrist, your left leg, and you have severe bruising everywhere. The guards who did this are currently being held in the deep dungeon until the King decides what to do with them." Shivering slightly Kelly shook her head because she knew that the deep dungeon held many creepy crawlies that even she didn't want touching her. Legolas, noticing her stare at the fire, put his hand on hers. "Do it Kelly. Heal yourself like you have before, I won't tell anyone. Just don't lose control again; I'm rather fond of my bed." The woman laughed and pushed herself off the bed while pulling a stream of fire towards her, asking it to sink into her and heal her broken body. "I am not the young girl I once was Legolas. I have not lost control since I burned your father's throne room to the ground."

"Along with half the kingdom!" Legolas teased as Kelly smiled and stood up, allowing the fire to leave her body and go back to the hearth. "Ah yes, but what a beautiful fire it was. Greens, blues, reds, and even a purple for a moment. It was glorious and even your father would have admitted to that. Besides, nobody died and I was the only person who received a burn." Kelly looked around the room, realizing that Legolas was the only one there. "I thought I heard voices arguing when I woke up? Was there someone else here?" Sighing, Legolas stood and began pacing the room. "My father was here, he believes that you should be given the chance to explain the fire. The only problem is that he wants you to explain it to everyone. The guard, the royals, even the prisoners; including your Dwarf friends."

Kelly rolled her eyes and smiled softly, checking her body for any bruises or injuries that may have been missed. She never could get over the feeling of her bones catching fire and healing, her blood being boiled and capillaries healing. "Well your father loves a good show, everyone knows that. I will agree to explaining, as that is what I have always wanted. I do need to see my friends first; they've probably bloodied themselves quite well against their cells."

The Dwarves had, in fact, been throwing themselves against their cells and were pretty well beaten up. Dwalin was the worst and even went so far as to try to attack a guard who had brought his evening meal. This ended with a scoff from the guard and a broken wrist for Dwalin. The company was now sulking; poking at the food they had been given as they waited for any word about their friend. The door to the dungeon opened, with enough force to slam against the wall behind it. Kelly came storming down the stairs. She looked much healthier than any of the Dwarves and much angrier. Fire darted around her, creating dark shadows on the walls that made the dungeon seem eerier. The fire wrapped around the woman when she came to a halt in front of Dwalin's cell.

The Dwarf had jumped to his feet, along with everyone else, but was soon silenced by the look of fury on his loved one's face. Without even twitching, a ball of fire went to the door and melted the lock, which allowed it to swing open. Kelly grabbed Dwalin and yanked him closer to her then began examining his wrist which was purple and still twisted at a strange angle. "Why was he allowed to be mistreated this way?!" Kelly screamed back up the stairs where the Dwarves noticed Legolas was just walking back out the door. Without expecting an answer, Kelly took a small fire in her hand before looking Dwalin in the eyes. "Hold your breath my love. This will hurt immensely and there will be nothing that will help until it is over." Dwalin nodded and held his breath, staring back at the blue eyes he loved so much.

It felt to Dwalin as though his entire wrist and hand had been submerged into boiling hot lava. He did his best not to scream but a muffled groan escaped and he almost bit through his lip. Kelly was the one who ended up crying, she knew how bad this could hurt to someone who hadn't experienced it before. In less than a minute it was over, but to the couple it seemed like an eternity. Kelly leaned down and kissed Dwalin's wrist before she stood back up. She then kissed him fiercely.

Looking down, Dwalin saw that his wrist was completely healed without even bruising as proof of what had happened. He was about to thank Kelly for healing him and to tell her he loved her when he was interrupted by a shout. "You're sleeping with this Dwarf scum?!" the outraged cry of the Elven King echoed throughout the caverns. He had descended from seemingly nowhere and was now standing face to face with Kelly. The woman pulled herself up to her full height and stared up at the King. "No. We are not sleeping together Thranduil. We are, however, deeply in love. This means I plan to marry him, if he'll have me, and possibly bear his children."

Thranduil surprised everyone by throwing his head back and laughing. This laugh however, sent chills down Kelly's spine and she raised her hand and smacked the vicious royal across his cheek. "What exactly do you have to be laughing about?!" Kelly yelled as the King held his cheek. "Oh dear, it seems no one has told you yet. There seems to have been an arrow imbedded in your body at one time." Kelly nodded slowly as she remembered taking that arrow for Dwalin in the goblin caves. "Yes, it was in my stomach. What of it?" The King leaned in close and whispered to the woman "The arrow hit you in the worst possible spot. It ruined you my dear, you can no longer have children thanks to that arrow."


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

A while later, once Kelly had finished throwing almost every object in the dungeon, she sat with the Dwarves and listened to their chatter. Dwalin was sitting on the bed in his cell with his head in his hands. Kelly refused to talk to him and he knew why. She thought that Dwalin wouldn't want her because she might not be able to give him children. Dwalin, however, had never really wanted children and so he couldn't understand why she couldn't grasp this. She wasn't broken, damaged, or even less of a woman in Dwalin's eyes.

"Kelly, can you tell us what the story is with you and the Elves? I'd certainly be interested in hearing it." Ori asked timidly, not wanting to set the woman off again. Kelly smiled slightly and nodded before leaning against a wall and closing her eyes. "Of course I will Ori. I'm actually glad you asked, this will be practice for when I speak to the King and his royals again." Dwalin stood up and walked out of his still broken cell then sat down next to Kelly, pulling her into his arms.

"I was a very young girl when I stumbled into Mirkwood. It wasn't as evil and polluted as it is now but there were plenty of dangers. I had run away from my family for fear of retaliation. My parents used to beat me and one day, I burned our house to the ground in a fit of rage. I don't miss them, I never have. We didn't love one another as a family should have. Anyway, I made my way to Mirkwood by myself; quite the accomplishment some might say. I didn't know about the Elven trail so I just plowed my way through the forest. I didn't encounter any monsters for a long while, but then I saw the webs.

Without realizing it, I had walked right past the spider's nesting area. Most of them were asleep so it wasn't until I was a mile past the nest that I realized I was being followed. I stopped in a small clearing and listened, I could hear them speaking to one another in snaps and cracks. Then one of them jumped at me from a tree which scared me almost to death! They were so huge, much too big for regular spiders! I dispatched the first one quickly with my sword which seemed to anger the rest of them. I lit a match and used my gift to kill any spider which attacked me. I let the rest go as I didn't see a point in needlessly killing a creature. I was sitting on the ground, out of breath and not ready for any sort of fight when the Elves found me.

They were stunned to find this young girl surrounded by dead spiders that were quickly turning to ash. It was a sight to behold I'm sure; a bright eyed skinny human that had just murdered almost a hundred spiders while remaining unharmed. Legolas was the one who first approached me, being the leader of the group. We discussed how I came to be in the forest but I made sure to leave out mention of my gift. Legolas liked my fiery attitude and decided to take me to his father. I was too happy with the idea of a nice bath to argue much."

Ori threw his hand up in the air like a student in class, catching Kelly's attention when he started whimpering softly. Nodding at him, Ori put his down and asked softly "Does Legolas have feelings for you?" Kelly laughed and threw her head back while Dwalin scowled fiercely. "All in time Ori. That is an important part of the story." Kelly leaned back against Dwalin's chest before looking at the rest of Dwarves.

"I was taken to the palace, given a bath and a change of clothing before I went to see Thranduil. When I met the King, he fell in love with my wit and charm. He said I had a special maturity for someone so inexperienced and young. I was allowed to stay in the palace and was trained like any other Elfling. Legolas and I became great friends, especially when I showed an interest in learning to fight. We explored the forest together and I learned many Elvish secrets that I swore not to discuss. For years we lived in peace and happiness without anyone knowing about my gift. Then the great attack came. Elrond, his daughter, and many of his advisors had come to visit for a party of great magnificence. It was a wonderful party and I was given a special dress for the occasion. It was the color of starlight and even had a starlight gem set into belt. I loved it and was telling Thranduil so when the spiders came bursting in. There were so many and they were intending to kill every person in that room.

So, without even thinking, I stole the fire from every torch in the room and began a massacre of my own. In less than 10 minutes, every spider in the entire palace and half the forest was dead. The Elves only stared in shock at what was later called 'the most gifted human in existence' then began praising me. No one noticed how much I had overexerted myself until I fell unconscious to the floor. I woke a day later with a massive headache and my room filled with flowers and other tokens of gratitude. I had saved over a thousand lives that night and the Elves only thought it right to give me what they thought was the best gift possible. Thranduil and Elrond spent nights poring over old books trying to find the right way to go about it. Finally, I was given my tattoo and my long life. They told me it would be strange but I would get used to it eventually. There were side effects however. My eyesight and hearing improved, I became more graceful, and my powers became stronger. I spent more and more time trying to learn to control my power all over again." Kelly sighed and shook her head before rubbing her temples slowly.

"What I wasn't told, was that Thranduil had figured out another purpose for giving me almost immortal life. Legolas and I had been friends for years and Tauriel eventually joined us. We were fantastic together and I could see that Legolas was gaining feelings for Tauriel which was adorable. The King, however, wasn't as pleased with this information. He began sending Tauriel on other assignments while Legolas and I were sent into the forest together more often.

The day of the accident, we had just returned from clearing out more spiders. Thranduil requested a private audience with me so I immediately went to the throne room. I entered still covered in muck from the forest and for the first time since I had arrived, Thranduil smiled at me. That was when I knew that something was different and I had a feeling I wouldn't like it. The King began talking and I tried to listen but he just gets so off topic when he goes. The next thing I heard was that Legolas and I were to be married at the next new moon, which was only a month. I protested as I knew it would hurt Tauriel and I simply didn't want Legolas like that.

An argument began and I was seeing red. Next thing I knew, the King had been thrown out of the room and the whole place was on fire. I had lost control and I couldn't it. It began dancing and glorifying in my anger, burning the throne room and half the palace. No one was hurt but I had thrown myself into the fire to save an Elfling which earned me a burn." Kelly raised her tunic to show a small scar on her right hip. "I was then able to gain control but I immediately fled, knowing I would be banished anyway if not killed. I then received word that I was not welcome in Mirkwood and I had been labeled a traitor. Then I met Dwalin and losing my place in this forest no longer mattered." The woman looked up at her love with her bright blue eyes before kissing him.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. This caused the Dwarves and Kelly to look up at the entrance. Legolas and Thranduil were walking down the steps together, staring at the woman in wonder. "This is just getting interesting. Do tell us how you came to meet your new lover." Thranduil said as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Why would you be interested in anything I have to say? I'm not welcome here, remember?" Kelly spoke quietly as she bowed her head to the King. "I heard most of your account of the fire. I do believe I pushed you too hard into marriage to my son. I hereby find you innocent of your crimes. Now tell me of your new life."


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Kelly blushed and looked over at Dwalin before nodding. "That is certainly a story that I love to tell. Didn't you want me to tell your subjects about the accident?" Thranduil shook his head before taking the chair from a guard station and sitting on it. "I will address them later. They will accept my word and your forgiveness or be put in the same place as those guards." Rolling her eyes, Kelly looked at Legolas before snuggling closer to Dwalin.

"Well, once I left the forest, I began wandering around Middle Earth. I went from town to town, working odd jobs for money. Then I spent some time traveling with a group of Rangers who didn't mind my gift. I eventually left them when some men seemed to become more aware of the fact that I was the only available woman in the group. I then set off for the Blue Mountains. I had never had a problem when dealing with the Dwarves and I had a few friends in that area. I was just passing through Erid Luin when I was attacked by some Wargs that were in the area. I had no matches, I was very tired, and there were more of them than I could handle.

I fought my best and managed to kill 2 of the beasts before a third managed to knock my sword from my hand. I was on my back, pinned by the beast, waiting for my death when I heard a terrifying war cry. I saw this Dwarf break through the tree line, brandishing a fierce war hammer. He immediately killed the beast that was hovering over me, knocking it over with one mighty blow. I took up my sword and began fighting again but also watching this Dwarf. He was taller than most of his kind, with a bald spot and multiple tattoos. Muscled beyond belief, and with a fantastic beard like most Dwarves. He was certainly the most attractive Dwarf I'd ever seen and I didn't even think I was attracted to men with hair on their face." While she was talking, Kelly had reached up and was mindlessly stroking Dwalin's beard. Dwalin had his eyes closed and seemed to be enjoying the caress.

"Once the Wargs were killed, he turned to me and asked me who I was and what I was doing in these parts. I told him my name and that I was going to visit some friends in the Blue Mountains. All he did was grunt and turn around, heading in the direction of the mountains. I followed and watched as he picked up his belongings that were lying not too far away. When I asked, he told me he was out here doing some training in the fresh air. I eventually found my friends but couldn't get that warrior out of my mind. When I asked about him, I found out that he was in the guard with the prospect of becoming the next Head Guard. So, I did the only thing I knew of that would make it possible to see him again."

Kelly was interrupted by Dwalin snorting loudly and shaking his head. "I don't think getting yourself arrested was the best way of going about that. You could have come down to the guard house to find me." Dwalin turned and looked at Thranduil before continuing the story. "I came in for duty that evening and was told that a woman had, without reason, attacked one of the Dwarves. This woman had walked right up, thrown a wicked right hook, pinned the prince down, and waited."

"Aye! That Dwarf just so happened to be me!" Fili shouted from his cell. Kelly giggled at the memory and Dwalin rolled his eyes. "So I go to the hall to find the young prince being pinned to the ground by the woman I had saved just a week prior. As I was hauling her away, I asked her why she thought it appropriate to attack the future King. Her only response was 'I didn't know he was royalty and I wanted to see you again.' So I put her in a cell for the night while we waited to see if the prince would press charges." Kelly tossed a pebble at Fili and hit him right between his eyes, laughing afterward.

"Yes and good thing he didn't! Otherwise, Dwalin would have had to spend more time with me than he was already. He was always the one sent to give me my meals because the other guards somehow kept ending up with broken fingers. Once I was released, I kept coming around the guard house to talk to Dwalin. He would usually ignore me and my advances. Though occasionally he would mutter in Khuzdul and I made the mistake of remembering them and asking someone what they meant." Kelly looked down at her hands and sighed softly at the memories. "After a few months, I eventually gave up trying. I stayed away from Dwalin and all the guards for 2 weeks. I knew I had stayed with my friends for far too long, although they had insisted I could stay as long as I wanted. So I decided I was going to leave the mountains and move on to another area. I packed all my things and made to leave. Before I left however, I went to the guard area one last time and left Dwalin a trinket I had made with a gold maker's assistance.

The trinket was simply a small metal ball attached to a chain that was made for a belt. When the clasp was pushed, the ball would open and reveal a small clock with the symbol of the guards on it. I left it with one of the guards and told him to give it to Dwalin. When asked why I had been away for so long, I told the guard that I knew when my affections were unwanted and that I was leaving."

Surprisingly, it was Thranduil who interrupted next by asking "Wait, you said you asked someone what the Khuzdul meant. What was he saying?" Kelly frowned and looked at Dwalin for permission before she continued. "He was insulting my heritage as a human, my lack of honor, and the fact that I didn't have a beard like their women." The woman shrugged off Thranduil's reply, saying "Oh don't worry, he knew I was upset. The only reason I found out was because of another guard. I had gone to the guard house to visit Dwalin again but he wasn't there when I arrived. I made idle chat with the Dwarf on duty. I decided to ask him what the words meant and he eventually told me. Dwarves don't like to share their language with anyone but when I repeated the words, the guard was shocked and immediately told me. He continued by asking who had insulted me in that way, saying he would arrest the Dwarf. I saw Dwalin walking toward the guard house and my face must have shown my displeasure. The guard looked, saw Dwalin and gaped like a fish out of water. 'Dwalin said those things to you?' were the only words he could manage. I nodded and left the guard house, making sure to ignore Dwalin."

"Yes, that day I had a later shift than normal. I was walking to my post and saw the woman. I was finally admitting to myself that maybe this woman had caught my interest. So imagine my surprise when, as soon as she saw me, a black look crossed her face. She left the guard house quickly, not before knocking her shoulder roughly into mine, and without a greeting. I received quite a lecture from the guard she had been talking to." Dwalin kissed Kelly's hair softly after saying his bit.

Kelly smiled and continued her story. "So, I stayed away for two weeks then left. Apparently when the guard gave Dwalin the trinket and said it was from me, Dwalin rushed off to my friend's house with the intention of apologizing to me. When he found out I wasn't there, that I had left for good, he immediately set after me. He found me in a small fishing village on the coast by the Gulf of Lune. I was walking down the main road when I heard my name being called. Next thing I knew, I was wrapped in strong Dwarvish arms and Dwalin was telling me how he was such a fool. We went back to the mountain together and that was the end of it."

Legolas laughed softly at the story while Thranduil stood from the chair. "I for one am glad to find you so happy. Especially with someone who seems to be able to handle your temper so easily." Legolas said as he walked away with his father. Kelly rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the prince, pulling it in quickly when Thranduil turned back around. "I will admit that is a lovely story but I am not going to allow your stubborn friends to leave just yet. Now if you would be so kind as to fix the lock you have broken Henig." Kelly smiled as she recognized the Sindarin name meaning 'my child'. She also noticed the King's mouth twitch as he tried to hide his smirk. He was glad to see the woman was still alive but he wasn't happy to find her with Dwarves.

After the royals had left, Kelly fixed the lock but let herself into Dwalin's cell with him. All the Dwarves were talking about the stories they had just heard, asking questions occasionally. Eventually the Dwarves settled down and one by one began falling asleep. Kelly and Dwalin were snuggled together on the bed, enjoying each other's company when the soft pattering of feet could be heard. Kelly looked up and saw nothing then jumped violently when Bilbo appeared out of nowhere, a ring of keys held in his tiny hands.

A.N. Thank you sooo much to Knowing Grace for all the help with languages and references! It would've been difficult without knowing this stuff! Remember, reviews are always sooo appreciated!


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Together Kelly and Bilbo opened the cell doors and shook the Dwarves awake. Once they were all together, Kelly turned and ran up the stairs whispering that she'd be right back. The woman twisted and turned around corners until she got to the room that held the company's belongings. Grabbing as many items as she could, Kelly practically flew down to the dungeon where she saw the group moving toward the wine cellars.

Kelly walked to the front of the group, passing out weapons as she went by. "Sorry boys, I wasn't able to grab everything and I couldn't find your clothes. These should be fine until we reach a town and get more supplies." The Dwarves cheered softly but it was quickly cut off when they realized that they were being led into the palace instead of out. Kelly looked over at the guards to see that they were all asleep, wine bottles lying next to them. Shaking her head, Kelly finished strapping all of her own weapons to her body. "Everyone climb into the barrels! Quickly!" Bilbo whispered. This, of course, caused an argument that was ended with a quick word from Thorin ("Do as he says!").

The Dwarves climbed into barrels then peeked out at the sound of an undignified squeak. "I don't fit in this blasted barrel!" Kelly growled as she tried to shove her knees to her chest. There was a noise from the dungeons and Kelly knew that their disappearance had been discovered. "Bilbo, whatever you plan on doing do it quickly!" The hobbit nodded, scurrying to a lever by the floor. "Hold your breath." Sounding slightly worried, Bofur asked "Hold my breath? What do you mean?" He was interrupted by Bilbo pulling the lever and the barrels rolling into an opening in the floor. Bilbo came tumbling down after them, sputtering and gasping slightly. Kelly slid out of her barrel, picked Bilbo up, and deposited him in her barrel.

"Well done, Master Baggins." Thorin said before he let go of the surrounding rocks, allowing his barrel to float down the river. "Kelly! You get in a barrel right now!" Dwalin yelled before his barrel disappeared over the waterfall. Kelly smiled and let go of Bilbo's hand before pushing off the bottom of the river and propelling herself out over the waterfall. She landed in a perfect dive, sliding between two rocks, before she came back to the surface and grabbed the closest barrel. "Kili! How wonderful to see you!" Kelly yelled over the pounding of the water as she pulled herself higher up the barrel and smiled at the youngest prince. Kelly could almost feel Dwalin's gaze catching the back of her head on fire as he glared at her.

Their joy of escape was short lived; however, as they heard a horn blow and the gates began to close. "No!" Thorin yelled as his barrel slammed against the gates. Kelly growled as the Elves prepared to capture them. Suddenly Orcs appeared out of nowhere and began fighting with the Elves. Kelly, looking furious beyond belief, jumped onto the bridge and pulled herself up. She then began killing any Orc she could reach. She began shouting what sounded like orders in Elvish and the Elves around her pulled themselves together and rallied to the woman. Kili jumped onto the bridge and began making his way toward the lever that would open the gate. Suddenly he felt pain radiating up his leg from an Orc arrow. Kelly spun around when she heard his cry of pain and then began making her way to him. Several Orcs blocked her path and slowed her progress as she cut them down.

Suddenly Tauriel, Legolas, and multiple other Elves flooded the area. They began killing the Orcs while Kelly kept fighting her way to Kili. She reached him just as he jumped onto the lever, opening the gates. "Kili!" Fili yelled as he saw his brother roll onto his back. Kelly pushed him over the side and into a barrel then swung around and continued fighting. She jumped over the side of the bridge and directly into an empty barrel, shooting arrows as she went. "Thank Mahal for the grace of your woman" one of the Dwarves muttered to Dwalin. Kelly growled and kept shooting any Orc that came too close for comfort.

After a few seconds, Kelly began cursing and looped her bow around her. "I'm out of arrows! Keep yourselves in the barrels while I handle these Orcs!" The woman jumped out of her barrel, skipped across a few others, then landed on the shore with her blades out and already slashing. Dwalin watched anxiously as she threw knives, cut off heads, and set about killing every Orc in sight. His viewing was interrupted however, by Orcs jumping at him from the bank. Fighting his way through the small army around him, Dwalin lost sight of Kelly. Suddenly, a loud screech was heard. Bilbo and a few Dwarves turned around and managed to see Kelly with an Orc blade stuck completely through her right arm. "Kelly! No!" Oin yelled as the woman pulled the blade free before using it to kill the Orc that had stabbed her.

The Company entered another set of rapids, obstructing their view. The next thing they knew, more Orcs than ever were upon them with Kelly nowhere to be seen. They were approaching a spot in the river where many of the trees grew over the river, making them easy targets. As they reached a log that was filled with Orcs, Thorin and Dwalin prepared themselves to fight again. Legolas appeared, standing on Dwalin and Dori's heads as he shot arrow after arrow. He jumped off moments later and continued fighting. Dwalin's grumbling was interrupted by an Orc jumping at him then being suddenly burnt to ashes. A wall of fire cascaded in front of the Company, killing many Orcs, while Kelly jumped from the trees and landed on Fili's barrel. Grabbing her to help her keep steady, Fili watched as she made slashing motions with her arms. The fire surrounding her would jump to an Orc and slash entirely through it before coming back to the woman.

They were witnessing something truly beautiful and horrifying at the same time. Arrows fired at the woman burst into flames before they came within 10 feet of her and Orcs would turn to ash in mere seconds. All this was being done by a woman whose eyes were bright orange who had a sadistic smile on her face. Fili's barrel hit a particularly rough patch of water and the woman's concentration broke, causing her to tip forward alarmingly. Fili reached his hand up and held her steady. Kelly continued to slay Orcs. Thorin noticed that the Elf Prince was still keeping pace with them but an Orc was about to attack him from behind. He threw the axe he was carrying, catching the Orc straight in the chest. The company continued down the river, gaining ground faster than the Orcs could run.

Grabbing Fili's hand, Kelly slowly slid herself into the barrel with him; it was a tight squeeze but they both fit. The woman pulled the fire back to her and whispered to it before letting it float away. Fili watched as her eyes changed from orange to their original blue. She looked at the young Dwarf prince, smiling slightly, before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell unconscious. "Kelly? Wake up!" Fili yelled as he shook her slightly. Dwalin watched anxiously as his One remained unconscious, knowing that she had definitely overexerted her gift. "She should wake up in just a moment. Give her brain a second to process what just happened." Thorin yelled as he noticed the Company's worried expressions.

Kelly woke up minutes later, confused as to why she was squished into a barrel with Fili. "What in Durin's name happened? Why am I stuffed into a barrel with Fili of all people?" Fili turned to her immediately and hugged her, squishing her to the point that she could feel her bones rubbing together. "Dwalin help me! It seems our young prince is trying to hug me to death!" Almost immediately, Kelly was pulled from one barrel and stuffed in another. She looked up to notice that it was Dwalin she was pushed against, making her significantly happier. Dwalin, however, was not as joyous. He was staring daggers at Fili, who looked terrified in return. "That," Dwalin said he smacked the younger Dwarf upside the head, "is for touching her legs." Dwalin then shoved Fili's barrel hard, causing it to bump into Ori's barrel. "That is for almost suffocating her with your hugs."

Kelly chuckled slightly while snuggling her head against Dwalin's chest, humming in pleasure as his arms wrapped around her and he kissed her head. "Anything behind us?" Thorin called out, interrupting the small moment. Balin replied with a quick "Not that I can see!" Bofur commented that he thought they had outrun the Orcs. Thorin shook his head before he answered. "Not for long. We've lost the current. Make for the shore!" They quickly paddled their barrels to safety, crawling out then helping the others. Kelly stood off to the side and wrung her hair out along with her bag which she had managed to snag from the Woodland realm. She watched Dwalin help pull Bombur out, admiring how his muscles bulged. The woman quickly turned away with a blush, watching as Kili limped his way to a rock to sit down.


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Noticing Ori sitting near the bank, wringing his clothes out and emptying his boots of water, Kelly decided to sit with the young Dwarf. While everyone else was discussing their next move, Kelly played mother hen to the youngest Dwarf. She ran her fingers through his hair and helped straighten his clothes out. Ori noticed a shadow appear and slowly turned around to stare in horror at the bowman behind him. With a shout of alarm, Kelly quickly threw herself in front of Ori while Dwalin stood up with a large branch in his hand. The man shot an arrow into the branch before turning and quickly shooting a rock out of Kili's hand.

"Do it again and you're dead." came the soft voice of the man. Kelly immediately searched for any source of fire nearby. Finding none, she slowly reached behind her to grab a small dagger from her boot. The bowman swiftly turned to her, causing Balin to move towards the man quickly. "Excuse me, but um you're from Lake-town, if I'm not mistaken? That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire by any chance?" He took a few steps closer to the man, his hands raised in a sign of peace. The man loosened his bow string before turning around and pulling barrels toward his barge.

"What makes you think I would help you?" the man asked quickly. Balin stepped closer as he looked the man over. Kelly sighed and began helping pull the barrels toward the barge. "Those boots have seen better days, as has that coat." The man quickly looked up and down at the woman helping him load the barrels. "No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed? How many bairns?"

"A boy and two girls." Kelly smiled at the way his voice sounded, proud but still tired. Balin took another step forward, a wide smile on his face. They seemed to be getting somewhere. "And your wife, I imagine, she's a beauty?" The man stops moving, his shoulders rigid. "Aye, she was." Kelly choked on air, turning her head quickly and staring at Dwalin in horror. Dwalin knew that, though she'd never admit it, she was terrified of him dying in battle and losing him forever. He shook his head slowly, silently telling her that he wasn't going anywhere. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Balin's voice trailed off as he realized what he had said. Kelly had turned back around and was pulling another barrel onto the barge.

"Oh, come on, come on. Enough with the niceties." Dwalin snapped, shuffling his feet with impatience. Kelly turned and gave Dwalin a glare that would've made anyone else cower back. Some of the Dwarfs that saw the look even stepped back, slightly terrified. The man saw this exchange and looked at Dwalin with a small smile on his face. "What's your hurry?" Dwalin took a strong stance and answered quickly with "What's it to you?" which caused Kelly to kick a barrel and bite her tongue to keep quiet. "I would like to know who you are, and what you were doing in these lands." Balin moved into the man's line of sight, bringing his attention away from Dwalin. "We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains, journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills." The man looked disbelieving, saying "Simple merchants, you say?"

Thorin stepped forward, taking control of the conversation. "We need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?" The man ran his hand across the barrels slowly, causing Kelly to watch him cautiously. "I know where these barrels came from." Kelly reached into her boot and quietly pulled her small knife out, just in case. "What of it?" Thorin asked, sounding quite rude. Shaking his head, the man turned away before answering. "I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Lake-town but by leave of the master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of king Thranduil." Kelly rolls her eyes, putting her knife back in its place. "Thranduil will not be a problem." Ignoring her, the man continued setting the barrels into the barge. "I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen." The man nodded, seeming lost in thought before saying "Aye. But for that you would need a smuggler." Kelly stepped forward and looked the man directly in his eyes. "For which we would pay double."

Kelly stood away from the Dwarves, looking out over the water and trying to see past the mist. She felt eyes on her and turned to see Bard staring at her. "What did you mean when you said Thranduil wouldn't be a problem?" Smirking softly, Kelly pulled up her sleeve to show the tattoo on her arm. "The great King Thranduil gave me this mark and prolonged life in return for saving his kingdom. One look at this mark and your Master will be sure to let us pass." The man, who Kelly found out was called Bard, looked at her tattoo with awe. He had heard of this mark, grown up to the tales of the woman who helped save Mirkwood. Now the legend herself was standing in front of him, more beautiful than he could have imagined.

Reaching his hand out, Bard touched the mark on her skin. He noticed that her skin was warmer than it should've been and he looked at her in alarm. "You feel extremely warm. Are you sick with fever?" Kelly laughed and gently pulled her arm away, hiding the tattoo again with her sleeve. "I am in perfect health, I assure you. The heat on my skin is simply another one of my surprises." Dwalin growled and turned away. He knew better than to interfere with her business, she could take care of herself. Kelly and Bard continued talking, discussing the mysteries that now surrounded Mirkwood. The mist had surrounded them now, making it almost impossible to see. Kelly stepped away from Bard and walked towards Dwalin then began whispering to him.

Suddenly, a large stone appeared in the mist, causing Bofur to yell out in alarm. The stone missed the barge by a few inches, causing Thorin to glare at the man. "What are you trying to do? Drown us?" Thorin grumbled. Bard smirked and answered, "I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." This response earned a chuckle from the woman which Dwalin looked none too pleased about. "Oh, I've had enough of this lippy lake-man. I say we throw him over the side and be done with him." This earned a smack on the hand from Kelly and an exasperated sigh from Bilbo. The Hobbit crossed his arms and said "Oh, Bard. His name's Bard." Kelly smiled and turned away from the conversation, watching as Balin laid out different coins as payment. Leaning against the side of the barge, she turned her attention to Bard. Staring intently she watched his movements and mannerisms, just because she thought he was interesting did not mean that he could be trusted. Kelly knew she would do absolutely anything, even kill another, just to keep her Dwarves from harm.

"There's um, just a wee problem. We're ten coins short." Balin said nervously, grabbing Kelly's attention. Gloin, who had only put a few coins in, was who Thorin looked to. During much protestation, Kelly pulled her boot off and pulled out a small money bag. It was sky blue, with silver thread making intricate designs on the outside. She reached in and removed two small gems, causing Balin to gasp as she laid them down. "These are Elvish star gems lass! They're worth much more than any of us have put in!" Dwalin growled and went to grab the gems. His One did not need to be putting anything of value forth, especially when what she had laid down were worth a small fortune. Kelly smacked his hand away then held it in her own. "Hush boys, I'll put in my fair share for this entire journey. Besides, it's not like I'll need it for anything."

Thorin looked extremely pale, his eyes locked onto the gems. "How on earth did you get those? Thranduil wants those gems more than anything else. We could have used those to get us out of that accursed forest!" Kelly shrugged and made to turn away. She was stopped by Thorin's hard grip on her wrist, pulling her away from Dwalin and face to face with him. "Tell me!" he screamed in her face, a bit of madness showing in his eyes and his grip getting stronger. Dwalin and Bard rushed forward at the same time when they heard a loud snap of a bone breaking. The woman made no noise; instead she stood straighter and told Thorin. "If you must know, they were given to me by Legolas when he first got the idea of courting me. He stole them from his father to try to gain my respect." She grabbed Thorin's wrist and pulled it harshly, making him release her, before she turned and stomped to the other end of the barge.

Dwalin walked up to Thorin and simply stared at him, quivering with rage. Thorin was his King and Dwalin had sworn to make sure no harm would befall him. Kelly was his One and Dwalin was supposed to fight anyone that dared hurt her. "Dwalin, may I speak with you for a moment?" Kelly asked, still facing the water and cradling her wrist. Bard was standing next to her, much too close, looking for some way to help her. Dwalin huffed and walked over, pushing Bard to the side, before he grabbed Kelly's wrist and examined it. "Dwalin stop, I'll be fine as soon as we get to the town. We have a bigger problem. We haven't even reached the mountain and already Thorin's showing signs of madness. He can break as many of my bones as he needs to but Dwalin, I refuse to let him simply slip into madness." Kelly leaned closer and whispered so that none but Dwalin heard her. "I can only heal so many injuries my love, and I have not tried my hand at healing those of the mind. If I cannot fix his head with my gift, then you and Balin must find a way."

A.N. I'm so sorry this took so long! I've had a lot on my plate! I would like some reviews on this chapter please because I'm still unsure about how I feel about it...Thanks for understanding!


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Bilbo cleared his throat loudly, announcing that Bard was walking over to them. "The money, quick. Give it to me." He said with his hand outstretched. Thorin shook his head and replied quickly with "We will pay you when we get our provisions, but not before." Bard took another step closer, seeming slightly distressed. "If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead." The Dwarves turned to look at the port slowly coming into view. Kelly grabbed the money from Balin and handed it to Bard, looking at him with an intensity that made the man shiver. "What do you need us to do?" she asked quickly as he looked at the coins and star gems in his hand. He looked around and his eyes landed on Thorin. "Get in the barrels and keep quiet."

They reached the port and everyone was in a barrel, everyone except Kelly. "I refuse to squash myself into one of those barrels. I look human enough; I'll stay out here and try to pass as Bard's sister or something." Kelly waited on the barge while Bard made a deal with an old man. She could hear the Dwarves grumbling in their barrels, suspicious of what Bard was doing. It took all of her self-control to keep from laughing when the fish were dumped into the barrels with the Dwarves. "Having fun in there boys?" Kelly giggled as she heard complaints. "Quiet! We're approaching the toll gate." That quieted everyone down and Kelly quickly covered her face with her cloak's hood. Bard looked at the woman with questions plain on his face. "I don't want to show my face unless I have to. I'd prefer not to be recognized from my time in Mirkwood."

Bard nodded just as a man yelled "Halt! Goods inspection. Papers please!" There was a quick, friendly conversation between them. They were just about to be waved through when a man, who looked as slimy as he sounded, interrupted. "Not so fast." The man took the paper and read it quickly before tossing it into the air. "Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland realm. Only they're not empty. Are they Bard? If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman. Not a fisherman." Sensing that Bard was about to give a snappy reply, Kelly quickly stepped between them. This brought the man's attention to her and he took a step back. "Well well Bard, now you're ferrying people around as well? Who might you be and what brings you to Laketown?" Bard spoke up with a rude "That's none of your business." Kelly shushed him and pulled down her hood, watching with a smile as the man's eyes became wide. "I'm sorry sir; I don't seem to have caught your name."

Her voice was silky and beautiful; Dwalin understood suddenly how dangerous this might be for the man. That voice could make a man throw himself off a cliff. "Alfred" he quickly replied, smoothing his hair down and puffing his chest out with an air of importance. "Well Alfred, I am Bard's sister and I've simply come to visit my young nieces and nephew. Now, I can see that you are a very important man." As she was talking, Kelly took a step closer to Alfred and slowly ran her fingers up his chest towards his face. "I sincerely forgive my brother's lack of manners. Though, I was hoping to be able to get through rather quickly. It's very cold out and I'm not used to this weather you see. Do you think that just maybe you could let us pass without making any trouble? Just this once?" By the time she was done speaking, Kelly's fingertips were running around Alfred's mouth and her body was nearly pressed against his. The man could only stutter incoherently then raised his hand in a motion to open the gates.

Kelly smiled and stepped back onto the barge, winking at the man and waving slightly before they disappeared into the town. The moment they were out of sight, her smile ended and a shudder racked her body. "I do believe that was one of the most disgusting things I've had to do in a long time." Bard stared at the woman in awe. She was quite the actress though her voice was so beautiful that, when paired with her face, Bard couldn't blame Alfred for being so easily swayed by this woman. He watched as she walked to one of the barrels and kicked it softly. "Doing alright in there Dwalin?" The Dwarf mumbled a reply in Khuzdul and whatever he said made the woman laugh. "You know their language?" Bard asked, surprise lacing his voice. Kelly turned to him and nodded, a bright smile on her face. "Of course, if I was going to be married to a Dwarf I only thought it fair that I understand what he was saying. It was Thorin who eventually taught me."

Bard found himself drawn to this woman. Her beauty, kindness, and her grace all made her an incredible person. She was unaware of his intentions but he vowed to make them known to her as soon as possible. She had to know that she had a chance with another human before she went running off with that Dwarf. They pulled up to a dock further in town and Bard quickly tied the boat off. Kelly hopped onto the dock and waited to help the Dwarves off the barge. Hearing Dwalin rudely refuse help out of the barrel, Kelly rolled her eyes as she offered her hand to Bilbo.

Dwalin turned quickly as he heard a shriek from the Hobbit and a scream of pain from Kelly. He rushed over to find her curled over, cradling her wrist close to her body, with Bilbo looking horrified. The poor Hobbit turned to Dwalin and stammered out an explanation. "She reached out to help me onto the dock. As soon as I took her hand, her wrist shifted and after she pulled me onto the dock she quickly went into this position." Dwalin grabbed Kelly's shoulders and turned her toward him. Grabbing her elbow, he pulled her wrist away from her body and gasped at the bruising. Thorin had grabbed her wrist hard enough to crack a bone and it had twisted when she helped Bilbo onto the dock. The bone and sticking out against her skin but it hadn't poked out yet, saving her from the blood loss.

"Get me to Bard's house and I'll fix it myself. We've been out in the open too long. Someone will get suspicious. Let's go my love, I'm fine I promise." Kelly soothed Dwalin as she nudged her cheek against his. The few Dwarves watching blushed at the obvious display of affection and Thorin cleared his throat loudly. The Company traveled quickly, Bard handing a coin to a man that had watched the entire event. "You didn't see them, they were never here. The fish you can have for nothing." Dwalin grasped Kelly's uninjured hand in his and held it as they walked along the docks. Suddenly, a young boy ran up to Bard exclaiming "Da' our house! It's being watched." This caused the Company to stop short and look around nervously.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Bard wrapped his arm around Kelly's shoulders as the woman shivered in the cold. Her wrist was cradled against her body and she looked slightly pale, causing Bard to walk faster. The Dwarves were nowhere to be seen and to the onlookers, it looked as though Bard had simply brought a strange woman home. "How much farther to your house?" Kelly asked as she shivered again. Bain, Bard's son, came to the woman's other side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as well. They were almost to the house but they couldn't look rushed. There were spies everywhere and they would report everything.

Finally, they were running up the stairs of Bard's house and Bain quickly pushed the woman inside as Bard made a comment to the men fishing near the house. As soon as Bard walked in the door, his daughters ran to him while Bain helped Kelly over to the fire. "Bain, get them in." Bain runs down the stairs to where Kelly assumes their bathroom is. Leaning against the wall near the fireplace, Kelly looks around the house. It's small but homey and warm enough considering it was on the water. "You have a lovely home Bard." The man smiled as he walked over to her. "This home holds nothing to your beauty my dear." He reached out and stroked her cheek slowly, causing Kelly's eyes to narrow in suspicion. "Bard? What are you doing?" She was cut off as the man leaned in and kissed her softly on the mouth, holding her head with both his hands.

"If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off." Bard pulled away as he heard the Dwalin threaten his son. The Dwarves began stomping up the stairs, shedding their wet layers as they came. To avoid being seen, they had been forced to swim through the frigid water and come into the house through the toilet. Dwalin made a beeline to Kelly, who was blushing furiously while lost in thought. "Does it hurt too badly? Should I have Oin look at this? Do you need anything to drink?" Kelly laughed and put her hand over Dwalin's mouth. "Hush my love. As soon as the rest of you get into the house I'll warm us all up and heal myself. Don't worry yourself sick." The woman put her forehead against Dwalin's as she spoke. The couple sat there for a moment, eyes closed, lost in their own world.

"Excuse me lass, you mind sharing some warmth?" one of the Dwarves asked, interrupting the romance. Kelly nodded and stood up while pulling Dwalin with her. She could hear Bard explaining everything to his children quietly. "You and your family may want to stand back. I'm about to show something that might frighten you and I would hate for your children to injure themselves." Bard nodded and pulled his children to the kitchen where they could watch but wouldn't be in the way. "What are you going to do?" The woman smiled before turning to the fire and holding her hands towards it. "I'm going to show you the reason I am known across the land for saving Mirkwood."

Tilda, the youngest girl, gasped as she realized who the woman was. Suddenly, fire began swarming the woman in tendrils from the fireplace. They wrapped around her like an old friend and Thorin flinched as he heard her wrist snap into place. Still moving around the woman, the fire spread out towards the Company who knew to stand still. As it wrapped around them and under their clothes, steam began rising and the Dwarves sighed in content. Kelly smiled before turning her head to Bard and his family. "Anyone feeling a bit chilly?" Tilda nodded and ran forward before her older sister could grab her sleeve. The young girl giggled as the fire wrapped around her, tickling her softly and filling her body with gentle warmth. "Sigrid try this! It tickles!" Without warning the fire darted to the rest of the family, tickling them and warming them without burning anyone.

Kelly laughed as she watched the happiness of the family before looking to Dwalin and staring. They made eye contact and a small moment passed between the two. Anyone who looked into the windows of Bard's house at that moment would have seen a strange sight. A woman who looked barely of age surrounded by a group of Dwarves, all of them practically covered in flames with content smiles on their face. If they had looked at the woman closer, they would have seen the love and adoration pouring out of her face as she stared at one of the Dwarves. He looked back at her with the same intensity and devotion. Anyone, including Bard, could see that they belonged to each other and they would kill anyone or anything to protect one another.

Later that day, after the Dwarves had had their argument with Bard about weapons, Kelly was sitting with Kili and looking at his wound. "It's nothing Kelly. I'm fine, really I am." The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes before wrapping it again, making sure to tie the knots correctly. "Of course you are. This wound, unfortunately, is not. It is beyond my knowledge and you should have Oin look at it." The young prince nodded before lying back down on the bed Tilda had let him use. "Couldn't you just heal it like you did with Dwalin?" Kelly sighed and shook her head, scooting into bed with Kili to talk with him. "Not without killing myself unfortunately."

Looking startled, he asked her what she meant. "Well, as you've seen, my gift has limits. If I tried to heal a wound that obviously has poison in it, I don't know how much energy it would take. I don't have much time left anyway, so I'd rather not rush it." Looking even more confused and scared, Kili stared at the woman next to him. Her face was a mask lacking emotions but her eyes sparkled with an inner turmoil. "You can't tell anyone this Kili, especially not Dwalin. When I told you lot my story, I may have lied about how long I was in Mirkwood. I can't age anymore Kili. My gift can heal my body but it can't heal my mind. I look young and strong and as though I'll last forever but I'm so tired. My mind is finally showing its age. I'm losing my grip on my powers; they're starting to take over my mind." The woman closed her eyes as tears began flowing.

"Is that why you can't heal yourself from that arrow scar?" Kili asked softly as he rubbed her hand comfortingly. Kelly nodded and looked at Kili. "It's why I can't fix my womb to have children. It's why if I overexert my powers again that my mind will probably be destroyed. If that happens, my gift will take over to keep my body alive, allowing any fires to wreak havoc and kill many, many people. I can't tell anyone else because they'll refuse to take me to the mountain with them. They'll lock me up somewhere and keep me away from what they consider to be danger." Sighing loudly, Kili pulled the woman to him and hugged her tightly. "I have always thought of you as a sister. I will not allow you to be locked up and kept from doing what you please. I will keep your secret until the time when you wish for others to know."

Having a small moment of kinship, neither of them noticed Thorin standing in the shadows. He walked away quietly with a frown on his face, grabbing Dwalin and pulling him outside quickly.

A.N. Sorry this is taking so long! I've started a new job and I'm still working on balancing work, home, and friends! I'll try to update again as soon as possible though! Thank you everyone sooo much for reading this! Remember, reviews are always welcome please!


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Kelly stood up once Kili had fallen asleep, careful not to wake him as she laid a blanket over him. The woman walked towards the rest of the Company, passing by a window as she went. Stopping when she heard hushed voices from outside, Kelly listened to Thorin and Dwalin's conversation. "She will kill herself if she goes with us to kill that dragon. We must find some way to keep her here. To keep her safe." Thorin's voice sounded hard and emotionless. Dwalin's reply was full of concern and sadness. "If I do that to her, she will never forgive me and you know that. However, I cannot lose her. What do you recommend for keeping her here? She will just burn through anything we tie her with. Perhaps having Oin slip a sleeping draught into her drink?"

Having heard enough, the woman gave a disgusted scoff before sitting next to the fire. She simply wouldn't accept any drink that she hadn't made herself. As the two Dwarves came back into the house, Kelly began thinking of ways to get away and get to the mountain. They couldn't stop her if she was already there when they arrived. "You looked troubled my love, anything on your mind?" Dwalin asked as he sat next to her, pulling her close to him. The woman smiled and shook her head, having decided on a plan. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just a bit tired; I think I'll go lie down for a bit." Dwalin looked surprised, but nodded and let the woman stand.

Thorin cornered the woman on her way to one of the rooms. "Here, you look a little thirsty Kelly. Drink this before you lie down." Accepting the cup, Kelly nodded to Thorin and walked into a bedroom in the back of the house. She quickly opened a window and dumped the drink into the lake, knowing it was probably laced with a medicine to make her sleep. She waited until it was dark, feigning sleep when anyone came to check on her. Kelly heard Bard leave the house, muttering under his breath anxiously. The Company left soon after, to break into the armory no doubt. She walked into the kitchen to find Bard's children standing there looking extremely confused. "Sigrid, when your father returns tell him that I have left. I am extremely sorry but I do not return his affections. Tell him I am going to save these foolish Dwarves from their own stupid pride." Sigrid nodded and hugged the woman tightly. "Be safe and try not to die alright? I would enjoy your company in the future."

Sneaking through the town, Kelly reached the edge of the docks just as she heard a loud metallic crash. "That would be the Dwarves getting caught in the armory." The woman shook her head before slipping into a small boat meant for one person. Leaving a few gold coins as payment for taking the boat, she began paddling her boat across the large expanse of the lake.

Out of breath and with her arms burning from the exertion, Kelly pulled the boat onto the shore and hid it. Turning to look up the mountain, Kelly smiled as she looked at what was once her home. "Now, I just have to try to find a tiny doorway on the side of this giant mountain." After checking all her weapons and looking through her bag at her supplies, the woman took off towards Erebor.

**A.N. - Sorry, this was sort of a filler chapter. I'm not doing good with ideas lately and it's really hard for me to judge where to take this story. I've not been getting a lot of reviews so I'm not sure if you guys are liking how it's going or what.. However, the third movie is coming out soon and I'm super excited about that! I'll keep working on finishing out the second movie but once I see how they interpret the third one, I'll be able to better gauge how to end this and fix everything the way I want! If you guys could review though, that would be ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!**


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Kelly stopped and caught her breath as she looked out over what used to be Dale. The woman knew that if they didn't kill the dragon before he got out of the mountain, this is what Laketown would look like. "Oh bless Mahal. I need to get into that mountain. This dragon will kill us all." Walking past the ruins, Kelly found the front gate easily enough. There were boulders and beams lying almost as if they had been put there.

"Smaug probably did this to keep people from trying to enter the mountain. Terrible thing that he didn't calculate for someone like me." The woman smiled wickedly and pulled a match out, lighting and whispering softly to the flame that came to life. "Alright my old friend, we're going to try a very old trick. This will be difficult but I know we can do it." The flame, happy to help this beautiful woman that spoke its language, wrapped around the woman's body and pulled into itself. To anyone watching, they would see the woman become covered in flames then shrink suddenly, seeming to disappear. A sphere of flames made their way towards the entrance, slipping through the cracks and finding an opening that no person could ever hope to fit through. Coming to the other side, the sphere expanded again until the woman reappeared. She was out of breath and her eyes remained a fiery orange color.

The fire, remaining by her side, voiced its concern about her eye color. "Don't worry my friend; it will disappear in a few moments. I'm getting old, that's all. I'll be fine." Kelly brushed herself off then strained her eyes to look around. Even with her enhanced vision, it was still very dark. After asking the flame to put out a little more light, the woman held it in her hands as she began quietly walking towards where she knew the treasury to be. "If that dragon is still alive, then we must find a way to warn Bilbo before he gets himself killed." The flame agreed for it knew of the Hobbit and the woman's fondness for him. The pair continued walking, being more quiet than a whisper of air, until they came upon their destination.

Gold, gold, and more gold. That was all that could be seen with jewels and gems occasionally breaking up this golden sea. Having never seen the treasury before, Kelly was stunned at simply how much there was. The room, which was probably larger than the entire Shire, was filled completely with gold treasures and coins. The fire made a soft comment about the greed of Dwarves, causing the woman to snicker. "Yes, they are rather excessive in their need for wealth. That, of course, is what brought the dragon here. Now, let's see if we can find the tunnel that leads to the secret entrance."

Making her way slowly around the edge of the room, Kelly did her best to avoid stepping on any gold. It would move and make far too much noise. She couldn't see the dragon anywhere but that did not mean that he wasn't here and she wasn't willing to wake him. Fending off dragon fire was something that she hadn't yet been tested against. Kelly didn't want to end up destroying herself needlessly and that might just be the event that did it. Going slowly, it took a few hours for her to find a passage that might just be small enough to be the right one. "Would you be a dear and tell me where this goes?" she asked the flame, smiling as it jumped to do her bidding. Moments later it came back and if a flame could sound panicked, this one certainly did. "There is a dead end but I can hear pounding and yelling on the other side of it. The Dwarves are here!" Kelly smiled and began running up the tunnel, hoping to get to the entrance in time to give them quite a start.

Feeling a sudden rush of air, Kelly knew that they had opened the door. Pushing herself faster, Kelly pounded her way up to the Dwarves. "Something's coming! Take up arms!" Thorin's voice echoed and the sound of weapons being drawn was heard. Kelly came sliding around a corner and stared in awe at the Company. They were all clean and dressed in warm furs that looked new. "Well, made friends with the people of Laketown did you?" Kelly smirked at the looks on their faces. Suddenly, a smaller ball of fur ran towards her, running into her and wrapping its arms around her middle. "Kelly!" Bilbo yelled as he hugged her tighter. "I'm so glad to see you! They said they had put you to sleep because it was too dangerous for you to come!" Kelly smiled and hugged the small Hobbit before sending Dwalin a look so cold, it seemed to chill the entire passage. "Yes Bilbo, they tried to drug me and keep me from going. However when said person overhears your plans; they begin making a plan of their own." Dwalin and Thorin had the decency to at least look slightly ashamed before Balin broke the silence.

"That's all fine and dandy lass, but how did you find a way in?" Letting go of the Hobbit, Kelly gestured to the flame hovering at her shoulder. "My gift gives me the ability to slide through holes too small for anyone else. Very handy when your Company tries to leave you out of things."

The Dwarves settled down some time later, spreading their packs out and sitting near the entrance. Kelly had refused to talk to Dwalin or Thorin, sticking close to the Hobbit and Balin. "I didn't see the dragon on my way through the treasury. It's possible that he's covered himself in all the gold and he's still sleeping." Kelly murmured to Balin as Bilbo listened intently. The elderly Dwarf nodded and ran his hands through his beard, thinking over their plan. Bilbo stood, announced that he was going, then turned and made his way down the tunnel. Balin followed behind him and the two began talking about the Arkenstone. Kelly stood up and made her way after the pair, only to be stopped by a hand on her arm. "Kelly. I cannot allow you to go down there. It's not safe." The woman turned around swiftly, anger and hurt deep in her eyes as she stared at Dwalin. "You cannot _allow _me to go down there? Last time I checked, I was not your property. I will do as I damn well please Dwalin." Tearing her arm from his grasp, Kelly turned around and marched down the tunnel.

Seconds after she had gone out of view however, the woman came sprinting back up the tunnel. Throwing herself into Dwalin's arms, Kelly kissed him passionately before whispering to him and running back down the passage. Dwalin turned around, blushing slightly, only to find all the other Dwarves looking extremely confused. "She told me that she would be as careful as she could be. From her that means everything. She also told me that she loves me until the end of time." There was a moment of silence that was broken by laughter and cheers.

Kelly smiled to herself as she was jogging up the Balin and Bilbo. "What's gotten you so happy?" Bilbo asked, looking up at his friend while feeling grateful to see her so happy. The woman giggled like a small girl, her cheeks flushing slightly before touching her lips. "Everything is as it should be. We're going to be fine, the dragon is going to be killed, and at the end of this, I'm going to marry the love of my life."


End file.
